Capitol Comments Articles
Bethell Committee Holds First Post-Session Meeting

(May 7, 2026) – Today, the Joint Bob Bethell Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services met for the first time following the 2026 legislative session.

The committee heard from Medicaid Inspector General Steven Anderson (Link to Testimony) who reported that in 2025 they processed 1,567 complaints with more than 1,300 being eligibility fraud and suggested that they have processed more than 500 complaints in 2026 which is ahead of last year’s numbers. He updated on current audit work including:

  • Data sharing between SNAP and DCF
  • Self-attestation for pregnant women on Medicaid with the Department of Health and Environment
  • Waivers and waitlists work to clean-up based on eligibility and if the patients still qualify
  • State costs for dispensing fees for over-the-counter prescriptions and what it is costing Medicaid

Inspector General Anderson also reviewed closed cases and answered questions from the committee.

The committee next heard from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment including Secretary Janet Stanek and Yvonne Case, Director of Operations for Medicaid (Presentation Slides). The committee heard information from the agency about increasing non chain pharmacy dispensing fees, and the possibility of more than 3,344 Kansans, including 1,900 children, currently on Medicaid that may lose coverage due to some of the HR1 immigration status coverage changes. The agency also updated the committee on determination processes and inquiry metrics for determinations, and the out of state residency pilot program with Gainwell, a company that assist the agency in flagging recipients getting Medicaid from multiple states.

The Managed Care Organizations next presented financial updates to the committee and MCO Pharmacy Overview. The committee heard about an 11 percent overall spending increases in the KanCare population since 2021, highlighting the largest spends in home and community-based services, nursing facilities, pharmacy, and behavioral health which make up more than 50 percent of the total program spend. The presentation showed a decrease in inpatient services. Committee members questioned if the CCBHC model was bearing out savings, studies showing GLP-1 costs savings to overall healthcare spend, network availability by MCOs of mobile sedation dentistry, and total administration in the capitation costs. (Financial Presentations Slides Here: United, HealthyBlue, Sunflower). (Pharmacy Presentations Slides Here: United, HealthyBlue, Sunflower).

The committee also received updates from staff at the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services. (Presentation Slides). The presentation covered items such as federal changes, the South Central Regional State Hospital, contract staffing, survey and certification process, community support waivers and wait lists.

Public comment to the committee came from the following organizations and citizens:

  • Karen Braman, Kansas Hospital Association who gave an update on the RHTP Centralized Credentialing Project
  • Colin Olenick, Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas
  • Jeffrey Whittier, Cottonwood, Inc. negative impacts of community support workers caps, and the need for a self-directed rate increase
  • Meghan Shreve, InterHab who shared capacity concerns for services
  • Erica Bates, Minds Matter expressed concern for the discontinuation Money Follows the Person (MFP) program and asked for more self-directed rate increases
  • Heather Braum, Kansas Action for Children highlighted Kansas kids losing insurance coverage
  • Kristen Ada, Kansas Home Care and Hospice Association asked for increases to home health Medicaid rates
  • Mike Burgess, Disability Rights Center emphasized pain points for limitations on the community support workers cap for those receiving I/DD waiver services
  • Sean Gatewood, KanCare Advocates Network expressed the need for Kansas to continue participation in the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration grant
  • Tanya Dorf Brunner, Oral Health Kansas who reported on additional funding outcomes for dental rate increases
  • Lola Kernell and Whit Downing, Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities expressing support for the Community Support Waivers, system modernization needs and the need for early intervention services in determining outcomes
  • Citizens: Kay Kemp and Tom Hastings who emphasized the needs for support of the Brain Injury Waiver

The committee spent time in the afternoon hearing from the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.