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Minutes for HB2774 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Designating the employees of certain charitable organizations as eligible to participate in the state health care benefits program.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 13, 2018
After calling the meeting to order, the Chairperson opened the hearing on HB2774.
Eileen Ma, Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes updated the committee with a briefing on the intended purpose of HB2774, which would amend the statutes that relate to the State health care benefits program. She further reported that the bill would designate employees of certain charitable organizations to be eligible for State health care benefits coverage if the organization received at least 75 percent of their funding through State grants that provide services or food support to Kansas residents who are elderly or disabled.
Proponent:
Angie Logan, Executive Director, Mid America Nutrition, stated that all Kansas Nutrition Sites and eleven Area on Aging Agencies qualify for non-state employee benefits, and she said the Kansas statute states that allowed groups must include non-profit entities serving disabled persons in the benefits program. She said, furthermore, the program she represents, serves veterans, medically fragile home bound elderly, elderly at their congregate sites, developmentally disabled adults, inmates at the Miami County Jail, and low-income school aged children participating in USD490 after school programs; therefore, she said the statute should apply to their program because 75% of our funding comes from Federal, State and Local government as mandated by the Older American's Act of 1965. She said many of the staff members go without health insurance because the premiums are outrageously high (Attachment 1).
Opponents:
No opponents appeared before the committee.
Neutral:
No neutral parties appeared before the committee.
Proponent written:
The following submitted written testimony as a proponent the bill:
Blaine Finch, State Representative, Kansas Legislature (Attachment 2).
Opponent written:
There was no opponent written testimony submitted.
Neutral written:
There was no neutral testimony submitted.
Representative Barker asked Ms. Logan how many people would become eligible to join the State health plan if the bill is passed. She said she didn't know, and Representative Baker replied that passage of this bill may have a significant impact on the State plan; and therefore, the number that would become eligible needs to be ascertained before this bill is passed.
Mike Michael, Director, Kansas State Employee Health Plan, stepped to the microphone and said that there was no survey done; however, he said the number that could possibly come onto the State plan would have no impact on the active State employees' plan. Mr. Michael also stated that if the bill passes and new people join the plan, these employees would have to be charged accordingly because their participation in the plan must be revenue neutral.
After the discussion period ended and all of the questions were answered, Chairperson Hawkins closed the hearing on HB2774.
