Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would have prevented her office from seeking new contracts with payers for the state's Medicaid program, The Kansas City Star reported May 13.
Ms. Kelly cited the need for a "transparent, competitive bidding process," for KanCare, the state's private Medicaid system.
The current $4 billion KanCare contracts with Aetna, Sunflower Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare expire at the end of 2023. Ms. Kelly's office was expected to begin negotiating new contracts this fall, but Kansas Republicans introduced the now-vetoed legislation to block requests for proposals until January, when the winner of the 2022 election will be in office.
Republican lawmakers wanted Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, to run the renegotiation process, according to the The Kansas City Star.
The bill would have also banned any Kansas governor from closing churches in future emergencies. It could still become law if lawmakers override the veto when they return to Topeka on May 23.