Kentucky Guv Begins Process Of Closing State’s Obamacare Exchange

U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin (R-Ky), speaks to a gathering at FreePAC Kentucky, Saturday, April 5, 2014, at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

It looks like Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) will be following through on at least one of his anti-Obamacare campaign promises. The Courier-Journal reported Monday that Bevin sent a letter dated Dec. 30 to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell informing the agency he will be dismantling the popular state exchange program Kynect and transitioning to the federal health care marketplace.

The transition will not affect Kentuckians using Kynect during this current open enrollment period that ends Jan. 31, The Courier-Journal said, and Bevin has made it a goal to complete the switch by the end of 2016.

In a statement, HHS spokesman Ben Wakana said the feds were “committed to work with the state on a seamless transition.”

“Kentucky’s State-based Marketplace has helped tens of thousands of Kentuckians shop for and purchase quality, affordable health insurance,” he said. “A successful transition from Kynect to the federal Marketplace will require strong cooperation and commitment from the state of Kentucky to its residents who have gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.”

At the outset of Bevin’s gubernatorial campaign, he appeared ready pull out Obamacare out of Kentucky by the root, but as the campaign went on, the Tea Party-backed politician softened some of those promises.

For instance, he backed off vows to eliminate the Medicaid expansion in the state and has instead announced plans to work with the HHS on a voucher program akin to Indiana’s.

As for the exchanges, health care policy experts told TPM back in November that the transition might cause some disruptions for users, but wouldn’t have a major impact on the benefits Kentuckians receive.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. So, a pointless act that makes life a little bit more of a hassle for people who have used Kynect before.

  2. So the anti federal government person wants to take away the state run thing and replace it with the federal thing?

  3. That’s the whole point. Make life harder for those who have the least.

  4. So long as the feds can secure all the plans currently offered through Kynect–with same fee structure–there shouldn’t be much of a problem for anyone except, perhaps, for the hassle of signing up through the feds’ Marketplace instead of Kynect.

    What an asshole.

  5. Avatar for dnl dnl says:

    Wonder how much the HealthInsuranceExchange lobbyists are directing to Bevins’ future earnings?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

61 more replies

Participants

Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for meri Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for ncsteve Avatar for leftflank Avatar for grokenstein Avatar for scottsa Avatar for randyabraham Avatar for pdxer Avatar for dudeman Avatar for mantan Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for sherlock1 Avatar for tecmage Avatar for gr Avatar for theghostofeustacetilley Avatar for ottnott Avatar for geofu54 Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for Landshark2995

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: