Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidates Fletcher, Beshear Propose Health Care Expansions If Elected

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 29 Oct 2007 - 11:00 PDT

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Kentucky Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear and incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R) both have said that if elected, they would extend health coverage to more low-income, working state residents by expanding state-sponsored programs, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. However, programs such as ICARE, a pilot program to help small businesses pay insurance premiums; Medicaid; and KCHIP, the state's version of SCHIP, "are struggling to cover the people currently enrolled in them," according to the Herald-Leader.

Beshear has said that expanding KCHIP coverage to all eligible children would cost up to $57 million annually. He has proposed funding health care initiatives by cracking down on Medicaid fraud, promoting electronic health records and creating an Academy for Health Care Improvement and Cost Reduction, which will generate "groundbreaking information" on ways to reduce medical errors and control costs. In addition, Beshear has said he would "encourage" doctors and hospitals to report their mistakes to the academy, so they can be tracked and studied.

During his tenure, Fletcher has begun to reform Medicaid, and he said at a recent debate that the state has "been able to solve the Medicaid crisis." Medicaid enrollment and costs in the state continue to increase, but the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services is slowing the growth by imposing new coverage limits and cost-sharing requirements, the Herald-Leader reports. Fletcher also worked with the state Legislature to establish statewide screenings for newborns that cover 29 diseases, and the state launched the ICARE pilot program during his term. The Fletcher administration has approved 175 of 271 ICARE applications, but the Legislature's original goal for the program was to enroll 4,000 businesses in the first two years.

The Herald-Leader also reports that "Fletcher fell short on some of his 2003 campaign pledges on health," including attracting more physicians and insurers to the state and limiting awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. In addition, he has not funded a program approved by the Legislature to cover the so-called "doughnut hole" coverage gap in the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Beshear has promised to allocate funds to the program and opposes caps on jury awards in malpractice suits (Cheves, Lexington Herald-Leader, 10/25).

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