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House committee advances Medicaid reform bill after hours of testimony on cost-sharing and access
Summary
The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee voted 14–4 (two passes) to report House Bill 2, a wide-ranging Medicaid reform bill that sponsors say increases program integrity and transparency but critics say could reduce access through new redeterminations and co-pays.
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Tuesday advanced House Bill 2, the Kentucky Medicaid Reform Act, after hours of sponsor explanation and emotional public testimony about how proposed eligibility and cost-sharing rules would affect patients and providers.
Sponsor Rep. Ken Fleming, R-48, told the committee the bill responds to rapid growth in Medicaid spending and aims to tighten program integrity, expand audits, and improve contract enforcement for managed care organizations. Fleming said the measure addresses community engagement and eligibility verification required by recent federal changes and would, among other measures, allow cost sharing for some services, strengthen data matches and redeterminations, and codify contract terms and penalties for MCO noncompliance.
"We have to look at how we're gonna sustain this program," Fleming said, citing what he described as a large growth in the Medicaid budget and saying the bill creates new oversight tools including an…
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