TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas shouldn't let fear of change prevent it from overhauling Medicaid, an influential legislator said Tuesday, as Gov. Sam Brownback's administration stuck with plans to let private companies manage the $2.9 billion program starting next year.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Marc Rhoades, a Newton Republican, responded to criticism that the Brownback administration is moving too quickly to make massive changes in the state's health coverage for the poor, the disabled and elderly. Rhoades said the state can't sustain its current Medicaid program because of rising costs.

"We don't want fear to lock us into doing nothing," Rhoades told The Associated Press. "At some point, you have to pull the trigger."

Continue Reading for Free

Register and gain access to:

  • Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.