I asked Gov. Hutchinson’s spokesman J.R. Davis Saturday about reports circulating among legislators that Centene and its lobbyist, former Rep. John Burris, had edited a so-called patient bill of rights and talking points circulated by the governor’s office in support of his bill to turn over parts of Medicaid to a managed care company.

Davis did not respond. (Among my questions was whether Centene would get the work over competitors if the bill passed.)

Advertisement

I asked him Monday morning, following David Ramsey’s report Sunday on the subject, whether the governor’s office had sought input from managed care administrators other than Centene.

He responded:

Advertisement

I provided a statement to David yesterday.

I responded that the statement provided David didn’t specifically answer my question. Here’s the statement:

The savings plan presented in the legislation originated with the Governor’s presentation to the Task Force. The actual drafting of the legislation was coordinated by Bureau of Legislative Research. We asked numerous stake holders for comments on the legislation, and we received numerous suggestions from both providers and legislators. Some of these were incorporated, and some were rejected. The Governor made the initial call and then the legislative sponsors have to agree also since it is their bill. One of the suggestions was the Patients’ Bill of Rights — a good list of principles that protects providers and taxpayers, and the Governor recommended its inclusion in the latest draft.

I responded to Davis that, while the statement made reference to plural providers, it didn’t specifically answer the question of whether more than one managed care provider participated.

Advertisement

He said:


I disagree with you. The statement addresses the whole.

I again asked if a provider of managed care other than Centene participated. He has not responded. 

Advertisement

UPDATE: Now this:

We’ve received feedback from numerous provider groups – including managed care organizations – and advocate groups during this process. At the end of the day, as I mentioned yesterday, the actual drafting of the legislation was coordinated by Bureau of Legislative Research, and the Governor made the call on what all should be included in the bills.

Finally, this office drafted the Patients’ Bill of Rights after receiving feedback from numerous entities.

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Who poured the money into electing Dan Kemp? Next article Supreme Court refuses to hear Walmart appeal of $187 million class action case