10 May 2005

Governor Sebelius signs health care reform bill

TOPEKA, Kan. – Today, at Topeka’s St. Francis Hospital, Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law a bill that creates the Kansas Health Authority. “This legislation is an important piece of the overall health care reform package I introduced six months ago,” Governor Sebelius said.

“With health care costs making up nearly 20 percent of our total budget, this law ensures that the state can proceed to cut overhead costs, streamline and coordinate state health programs, be more effective in federal negotiations and exert as much purchasing clout as possible,” the Governor continued.

In November, Governor Sebelius joined with Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger to put forward a comprehensive health care initiative, which included streamlining health care purchasing, insuring more Kansas children, lowering health costs for small businesses owners and workers, providing Kansans with more low-cost prescription drug options and encouraging healthier lifestyles for children, workers and seniors.

The Governor said, “With bipartisan cooperation on this bill, we’ve made real progress in guaranteeing that more Kansans will receive first-class care at a reasonable price.”

In addition, she pointed to the establishment of the Cost Containment Commission, the funding of the Business Health Partnership, the institution of the I-SaveRx program to help Kansans buy low cost drugs and the imminent “Healthy Kansas” initiative that will focus on improving the health of schoolchildren, workers and seniors.

“This effort is a good first step. Still, we have a lot to do,” she said. Three hundred thousand Kansans have no health insurance, and most are from working families. This is just wrong. We’ve got make sure that Kansas business owners can afford to cover their employees.”

Following the bill signing at St. Francis Hospital, Governor Sebelius continued the health care tour at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, the Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center in Pittsburg and the Sedgwick County Health Department in Wichita.

This health care bill is SB 272.

For more information about the Governor’s Healthy Kansas initiatives, go to www.healthykansas.org.