By Mike Shields
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, March 5
– The Health for All Kansans Steering Committee on Monday refined its list of health-care reform recommendations for the Legislature, making a “short” list for this session that carried a tentative price tag of about $1.7 million from the state general fund.
Members also agreed to continue meeting through the year and to work with advisory councils to the Kansas Health Policy Authority to develop a plan for more sweeping reforms to be presented to the Legislature in November for action in 2008 so that they could take effect in 2009 and 2010.
The steering committee was formed in January at the urging of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who called on the Legislature and the health policy authority to this year come up with a plan for “universal coverage.”
The committee shied from meeting that ambitious goal and instead focused on what members and staff workers concluded might be possible this year given the session now is more than half over. The steering committee agreed Monday it will finalize its recommendations by March 19, so they can be forwarded for review by the health policy authority board and then shipped to lawmakers.
“I consider this a down payment,” steering committee chairman Joe Tilghman said of the recommendations so far developed. “We should try to get a couple things done this session but also put into play a more comprehensive package for the 2008 session.”
The list agreed to Monday differed from an earlier one developed by the committee, most notably for its omission of the governor”s proposal to extend HealthWave coverage to another 2,000 children ages 5 and under. It also deleted endorsement of a health insurance connector as proposed by Sen. Jim Barnett, chief sponsor of Senate Bill 309 and a member of the steering committee. Despite those deletions from the revised list, Tilghman said he”d like to see the governor”s so-called HealthyFive plan enacted this year and Barnett”s connector plan embraced next year as part of the bigger reform package. Added to the list was a recommendation for premium assistance for women, children and low-income families that could blend elements of the governor”s and Barnett”s plans.
Here”s the list of recommendations agreed to Monday:
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Early Detection: Expand mandatory screening of newborns to 29 tests. The state currently requires four screen tests. Cost: $191,000 SGF or $1.2 million all funds.
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Expand insurance to young adults through their parents” policies by expanding the age of dependency from 23 to 25. Cost estimates not yet available.
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More outreach and marketing for HealthWave, the program that provides free or subsidized health care coverage for eligible children and mothers. Cost: $336,247 SGF or $822,112 all funds.
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Consider federal Deficit Reduction Act flexibilities to design benchmark benefit packages with more cost sharing by recipients. Cost: This would rely on federal grants.
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Provide premium assistance for pregnant women, children and low-income families to encourage their participation in private insurance plans. Cost: “unknown at this time; goal to bring in federal dollars.”
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Promote health care pricing and quality transparency. Cost: $425,682 or $543,790 all funds.
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Establish an “Implementation Center” for a health information exchange through a “public/private” entity as a single coordination point for health information exchange efforts. Cost: $750,000 SGF or $1 million all funds.
-Mike Shields is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
mshields@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 123.