Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

TOPEKA — Two Kansas officials will serve on a new, national panel established to help states implement federal health reform.

Andy Allison, executive director of the Kansas Health Policy Authority, and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger have been named to the steering committee of the Consortium on Health Care Reform Legislation Implementation.

The group was formed by the National Governor’s Association, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, National Association of State Medicaid Directors and National Academy for State Health Policy.

According to the governor’s association, the consortium will “focus on aspects of the health reform law that are likely to have the biggest effect on states,” including Medicaid expansion, health insurance purchasing exchanges and the re-writing of insurance regulations.

Praeger said the appointment will help her protect Kansas consumers “from any unintended consequences of the federal law.”

Allison said his appointment would give Kansas a voice in policy discussions with federal officials that could be critical to successful implementation of the new law.

“One of the most important things to remember about health reform is that even though it’s federal legislation, much of the nuts-and-bolts implementation is left to the states,” Allison said, noting that Kansas could be ahead of many other states because it is in the process of developing a new enrollment system capable of handling the influx of applications associated with adding approximately 131,000 people to the Medicaid program.

“Operationally, we are on track and the steering committee gives us a vehicle to engage on remaining policy issues,” Allison said.

The health policy authority is working to have the new system in place by 2014, when the purchasing exchange will begin operations and all adults who earn less than 138 percent of federal poverty guidelines –about $15,000 a year for individuals – will become eligible for Medicaid.

The new system may be critical in Kansas given KHPA’s current inability to process applications on time. Staffing shortages due to budget cuts and other issues have combined to produce a backlog of approximately 8,100 Medicaid applications and 5,300 renewals.

Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, the assistant House minority leader and member of the Joint Committee on Health Policy Oversight, said having Praeger and Allison on the consortium’s steering committee and former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius heading the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says something about the quality of Kansas officials.

“I think it’s a great statement for Kansas,” he said.