Williams expresses doubt about Beshear’s handling of Medicaid, expects Beshear fly-around
UPDATED AT 4:38 P.M.
FRANKFORT – Senate President David Williams said Wednesday he has “great doubt” about Gov. Steve Beshear’s handling of the state’s Medicaid program and expects Beshear will fly around the state this week to announce who will take over most of the program.
“It’s the sort of thing that you wouldn’t want to announce at the Capitol where people might be able to answer questions,” said Williams, a Burkesville Republican who wants to unseat Democratic Beshear as governor.
State officials said last week they soon will announce who will be awarded contracts for outside managed care services. They missed a self-imposed July 1 deadline to announce the contracts.
Beshear’s director of communications, Kerri Richardson, said Beshear will hold an 11 a.m. news conference Thursday in the Capitol.
Asked if Besher will have a fly-around of the state to talk about the contracts, she said reporters could ask him at the news conference.
The Beshear administration pledged during this year’s legislative session to balance the state Medicaid budget through contracts with managed care organizations to run most of the $6 billion-a-year program for the needy.
Williams, after a regular meeting of the Legislative Research Commission, said legislative leaders have not been briefed by the administration on the managed care contracts.
“I don’t really see, considering how it’s been handled, how they could get anything in place as far as providing services before November or December,” he said.
“It’s pretty optimistic that they could get anything done in the first half” of this fiscal year that began July 1, Williams said.
“Time is ticking on his ability to save sufficient amount of money to balance this budget.”
–Jack Brammer
Filed Under: David Williams • Governor's Race • State Budget • Steve Beshear
About the Author: 
dixxiecrat, you should talk to me. No way in the world would I ever vote for Beshear. Only people I have found who ARE voting for him are commenters on blogs like you who have your noses so far up Beshear’s rectum that you see by looking out his mouth. What has he done for Kentucky? Nothing of note.
Better Beshear’s than Williams’.
W.D. Workman, I don’t want compromise. We have done things the Democrats’ way for years. It’s time to scrap their ideas and do it a different way. Gateweed is just a repackaged Democrat.