Jim Pence August 7th, 2007
Bellevue, KY (August 7, 2007) – Steve Beshear, Democratic nominee for Governor, today released the details of his comprehensive health care plan for affordable, high-quality health care called, “Keeping Kentuckians Healthy.” The plan, available online at www.SteveBeshear.com, provides a detailed roadmap for moving Kentucky up from its current ranking of 39th among all states in health status.
First, Beshear proposes health care coverage for all children as a first step toward providing coverage for all Kentuckians. This plan includes ensuring that every eligible child is enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program or the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP). Second, it allows low-income families to buy into KCHIP with sliding scale premiums based on income. It also permits every Kentucky family to buy KCHIP coverage at full price so that all Kentuckians can find affordable coverage on the individual market.
“This plan speaks directly to the more than 550,000 Kentuckians with no health coverage at all, including 81,000 children,” said Beshear. “Every parent knows that when a child is sick, you want nothing more than to get them the medical attention they need right away. As Governor, I will take the first step toward providing high-quality, affordable healthcare coverage to every Kentuckian by starting with covering every child in this state.”
Furthermore, Beshear’s “Keeping Kentuckians Healthy” plan allows dependants up to age 25 to remain on their parents’ plans. “Keeping more young, healthy Kentuckians in the insurance pool will lower costs for all Kentuckians,” Beshear explained.
Next, the plan ensures that more small businesses and their employees can afford coverage. Among other things, this portion of the plan explores a “Kentucky Health Care Connector” to offer individuals, families and small businesses a range of affordable coverage, including a sliding scale premium for lower-income families and small businesses. Beshear’s health plan also offers a comprehensive but affordable agenda for small business focused on prevention and chronic disease, called “Healthy Kentucky.”
“It is also critical that we strengthen the Medicaid safety net, especially for those living in rural areas,” Beshear added. “As Governor, I will increase outreach to those eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled, and increase provider reimbursement rates to expand access.”
The “Keeping Kentuckians Healthy” plan also focuses on the outlandish cost of prescription drugs, particularly for elderly Kentuckians. “When Medicaid Part D doesn’t provide enough coverage, it forces senior citizens to pay 100% of their prescription drug costs,” Beshear said. “Many of those seniors have to make a decision each day whether to pay for food or for the medication they desperately need. This must change.”
In 2005, Beshear’s running mate, Dr. Daniel Mongiardo co-sponsored legislation that created the “Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program” to help seniors in this coverage gap. The bill passed, but funds were never provided to assist senior citizens with this critical assistance. “I will provide the leadership to fund this program so eligible senior citizens get the prescription drugs they need without draining their bank accounts,” Beshear added.
Beshear’s health care plan calls for the development of a Prescription Drug Pricing Website that will allow consumers to find the best possible prices for their medications. It also proposes ways Kentucky can save millions of dollars each year by slowing the growth of prescription drug spending, including implementing e-prescribing, promoting evidence-based drug purchasing and expanding access to discounted drugs.
“Another area long championed by my running mate is patient safety,” said Beshear. “Dr. Mongiardo and I will create an Academy for Health Care Improvement and Cost Reduction” to reduce medical errors, improve patient care and reduce health care costs.”
Finally, a critical part of the Beshear health care plan is reducing the cost of care for all by promoting preventive care. Kentucky has some of the worst rates of obesity and smoking in the country which can lead to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. As Governor, Beshear will establish a Business Roundtable for prevention, partnering with leaders across the state to promote worksite wellness. Further, he will promote healthier communities by promoting walking paths and smoking cessation measures and create innovative preventative care centers.
“Providing coverage to every Kentuckian is not only the right thing to do morally, it is also necessary to make our workforce the most productive and our businesses the most competitive in the country,” Beshear explained. “We need real leadership with detailed plans to make this happen. That’s precisely what I offer you.”
