8/13/12 Legislative Update
August 13, 2012
Your Monday Morning Update:
THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.
Residue from the primary election has gone by the wayside and we are now looking down the road for what’s next. The Governor’s goal of ousting the moderate Republican Senate came to pass. The only moderate Senator from Johnson County that survived the primary is Kay Wolf. Moderates that were running – Pat Colloton, Tim Owens, Joe Beveridge, and Tom Wertz all lost.
The outcome of the House primary election mirrors what happened in the Senate. One major loss was Representative Ron Worley. He introduced several bills on behalf of folks on the developmental disability (DD) waiting list through the years. He was a steadfast supporter.
My reason for mentioning this is that these were some of DD’s most ardent advocates.
After the general election in November, we’ll have our new and official roster of legislators. I believe that we will have our work cut out for us.
It’s been said that “change brings opportunity”. We now have the opportunity to educate, build relationships, and groom replacements for our lost supporters. This is sometimes easier said (and written) than done. Then again, we are used to challenges aren’t we?
On the KanCare front, the proposal was resubmitted to the Feds for their review and blessing. We shall see what comes of that. The State is still counting on implementing KanCare in January 2013. We know that the community DD service system will be on hold for a year, but anyone on Medicaid for medical needs will be included in the January 2013 start date.
The Kansas Health Consumer Coalition is hosting a Community Conversation about KanCare on Tuesday, August 28 at 6 p.m. in the Carmack Room at the Johnson County Central Resource Library at 9875 West 87th Street, Overland Park, KS, 66212. This forum will help create a community plan to educate ourselves and others on the changes we’ll see in Medicaid next year. Medicaid expert Scott Brunner with the Kansas Health Institute will frame the conversation.
Warm regards,
Lurena Mead
JCDS Community Relations Manager
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