Senate committee hears informational testimony on county-run health plan proposal (Senate File 3149)

Senate Health and Human Services Committee members heard informational testimony April 8 on Senate File 3149, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Hoffman to create a county-administered rural medical assistance model (referred to in testimony as CARMA) that would give counties a new contracting path as an alternative to existing PMAP procurement. The bill was heard post‑deadline and no committee action was taken.

Sen. Mark Hoffman told the committee the bill grew from two years of collaboration between the Department of Human Services (DHS), county-based purchasing plans and county associations and is intended to "build on the 45 years of success of county based purchasing." He described the bill as offering "direct multi‑year contracts as an alternative to existing PMAP procurement processes," and said the model emphasizes local control and closer integration of social services, public…