With the exception of Medicaid expansion, the legislature has completed most of the work directly impacting health care providers. Over the April break, the Governor signed House Bill 2026, establishing meaningful process reforms for the state's managed care Medicaid program, KanCare.
On Monday May 1, the legislature reconvened for the so-called "wrap-up" or veto session. The April break allowed the Governor to receive the bills that advanced through the regular session and sign or veto them. Returning in May is designed to allow the legislature one last attempt to consider and override any bills vetoed by the Governor and to pass an omnibus budget reconciling previous appropriations with the cost of new legislation passed. Though that is the design, it has been a long time since the wrap-up session has worked that way.
In 2013, the KMS House of Delegates voted to change the organization's governance structure, create an 18-member Board of Trustees and establish a membership-wide election process.
The Kansas Healthcare Collaborative is pleased to announce the ninth annual Summit on Quality, scheduled for May 10, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency in Wichita, Kansas.
The 2017 regular legislative session adjourned last Friday after swift passage of a rescission bill to plug the 2017 state budget on the previous evening. Though the rescission bill had broad bipartisan support in both chambers, much difficult work remains for the so-called "veto session" when the legislature returns in May to consider those items the Governor has vetoed, or not yet resolved during the regular session. Tax policy, a court-mandated school finance plan for K-12 schools and a future budget plan have yet to be crafted and begin the bumpy road towards passage.