The Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare met in Frankfort on August 4. During the meeting, Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Executive Director of Policy and Budget Beth Jurek discussed the July 1 Executive Order to reorganize CHFS and the administration of Medicaid. She stated the Cabinet is restructuring the department to reflect the change to managed care from fee for service in order to ensure managed care organizations (MCOs) are meeting the requirements of the contracts and monitor the way that clients are receiving services. CHFS is reducing the number of divisions from eight to six, which according to Jurek, will be a net decrease, with no increase in the agency. CHFS is also consolidating information technology services.

The Committee also discussed and approved the Executive Order to reorganize the Health Benefit Exchange. Under the plan, the Office of Health Information Exchange will be included in the newly established Kentucky Office of Health Benefit and Health...

On Wednesday, July 16, the Interim Joint Health and Welfare Committee met in Frankfort. Kentucky Medicaid Commissioner Lawrence Kissner spoke at the meeting to provide an update on Affordable Care Act (ACA) activities in Kentucky.

During his presentation, Kissner told the committee that the federal government has kept the disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments as they have been from federal fiscal year (FFY) 2009 to 2013 – the same as before the ACA. He stated that some hospitals have received more additional Medicaid payments from Medicaid expansion than others. He said that 78-79 hospitals are getting paid more in Medicaid expansion payments plus they are still receiving DSH payments (not counting UK Chandler Medical Center, University of Louisville Hospital and the psychiatric hospitals).

Representative Robert Benvenuti (R-Lexington) pointed out to Commissioner Kissner that hospitals are seeing more self pay patients and those with high deductible plans in addition to the losses hospitals...

The Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare met in its first interim meeting on June 18 in Frankfort.

Commissioner Mary Begley, Dr. Alan Brenzel, Lisa Lee and staff from the Department for Behavioral Health, Development and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) testified on the closing of the IMPACT Plus Program in Kentucky. IMPACT Plus was created as a Title V “funding stream” for additional behavioral health services with additional providers outside the 14 Community Mental Health Centers in 1997. IMPACT Plus was designed to serve children with high intensity behavioral health needs, who were in or at risk of out-of-home placement, after being required to meet eligibility criteria.

The DBHDID determined that, in current practice, the program is duplicative of the Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), which creates inefficiency in program administration and increases cost.

On January 1, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) authorized a Medicaid State...

On Wednesday, June 18, the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare will meet in Frankfort at 10:00 a.m. (ET). The agenda includes:

• Cabinet for Health and Family Services Budget Overview
• Impact Plus Program Changes
• Medical Marijuana Legislation
• Consideration of Referred Administrative Regulations

KHA staff will be in attendance at the meeting. For further information, contact Sarah S. Nicholson at KHA (502-426-6220 or 800-945-4542 or via email at snicholson@kyha.com).