Requiring the secretary of health and environment to request a waiver from the United States centers for medicare and medicaid services to end participation in certain expenditure authorities under the KanCare demonstration.
Impact
If the waiver requested under SB151 is granted by CMS, the state will effectively discontinue these key medical assistance services, potentially affecting a substantial number of individuals reliant on these services. The discontinuation of these expenditures could lead to a significant decrease in available resources for those seeking support for behavioral health issues and substance use disorders, which has broad implications for public health in the state. Should the waiver not be approved, the secretary is required to persist in requesting the waiver annually, indicating a sustained effort to formalize this change in policy regardless of the outcome of the initial request.
Summary
Senate Bill 151 (SB151) is a legislative proposal that aims to modify the state's participation in certain expenditure authorities under the KanCare demonstration program by requiring the Secretary of Health and Environment to seek a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Specifically, the bill mandates that, starting from July 1, 2025, the secretary must request to terminate participation in services pertaining to behavioral health needs, substance use disorder treatment, continuous eligibility for specific relatives, and coverage for individuals transitioning from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This legislative move is significant within the context of Kansas's healthcare landscape.
Contention
The discussions around SB151 may spark contention regarding the adequacy of support for vulnerable populations, particularly those struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. Critics of the bill may argue that ending coverage for these services undermines the state's commitment to public health and decreases access to critical resources for individuals who may already face significant barriers to care. Proponents might assert that the intention behind the bill is to streamline expenditures and focus resources on more efficient or necessary healthcare services, but such a shift raises questions about long-term consequences for affected communities.
Prohibiting the state fire marshal from wearing or operating a body camera during an on-site inspection at a licensed facility, transferring authority for certification of continuing care retirement communities to the Kansas department for aging and disability services, authorizing the secretary of aging and disability services to grant certain regulation waivers to providers of disability services, adding a definition of day service provider and providing for expanded certification of certified community behavioral health clinics after February 1, 2027.
Requiring the secretary of health and environment to study drug overdose death cases and providing for the confidentiality of related records, restricting the authority of the secretary of health and environment and local health officers to control the spread of infectious or contagious diseases, repealing the authority of the secretary to quarantine individuals and impose penalties for violations thereof and prohibiting the secretary of health and environment from requiring COVID-19 vaccination for children attending a child care facility or school.
Directing the secretary for children and families to request a waiver from supplemental nutrition assistance program rules and prohibit the purchase of candy and soft drinks with food assistance.
Requiring the secretary for children and families to assess certain children and the secretary of corrections to provide certain services to juveniles in detention, changing the criteria used to refer and admit juveniles to a juvenile crisis intervention center, allowing evidence-based program account money to be used on certain children, requiring the department of corrections to build data systems and allowing for overall case length limit extensions for certain juvenile offenders.
Requiring medical care facilities and providers to report the reasons for each abortion performed at such facility or by such provider to the secretary of health and environment.