Welcome Visitor. Today is Friday, March 29, 2024. Sign-on
Follow Us On Facebook
Governor wants Passport to get its act together - yesterday

Passport is a Medicaid provider that serves Jefferson and 16 counties surrounding it. Passport is the privatized version of what the state does directly in other regions for health care for poor people. Up until recently, Passport was considered the best thing for controlling health care. There was talk of expanding the program or creating clone companies to duplicate its business.

That was until Auditor Crit Luallen found that Passport execs were going bye - bye in the big ole airplane and using limos when they got to their desirable destination, putting money into the pot for lobbying efforts and other equally un-healthcare related spending.

Other media outlets are reporting that the state wants its money back and that the idea of cloning it is about as popular as cloning roaches around the Capitol. Governor Beshear's opponents in the 2011 election are using Passport as a campaign stick.

So he issued the statement and its breaking news. The letter attached is a pdf saying there WILL be a big ole meeting in which everybody with any connection to this mess will show up and stomp on the Passport Board's heads.

Statement by Gov. Beshear on Passport

 
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2010) – “Attached is a letter sent to the Passport Board yesterday from Secretary Janie Miller of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services calling for an immediate meeting to address corrective actions in response to the troubling audit findings. It is my understanding that the Passport Board plans to hire an interim CEO.   Obviously a new interim CEO is needed at Passport, but any candidate for that position should be reviewed by the Cabinet to make sure that there are no potential conflicts of interest, allowing that interim CEO to make it his or her first and only priority to clean up this mess. 

 However, while a new interim CEO is important, it is also essential to have a top to bottom change in management and a total reorganization in the governing structure of Passport.  Any new management and governing structure must understand that they are accountable to the taxpayers and that they will be transparent with the taxpayers’ dollars.  Additionally, the Cabinet will be conducting a full financial and programmatic audit of Passport, and I expect the new management to be fully cooperative in that effort. Finally, we notice from Passport's news release that they plan to begin ‘a review of all lobbying efforts to determine appropriateness for an organization that is established as an at-risk, provider-sponsored, 501(c)3 not-for-profit HMO.’  A review alone is totally unacceptable.  We expect a immediate freeze on any expenditures for lobbying and any other expenditures not directly related to medical care for Medicaid recipients until the Cabinet and new Passport management can address these issues.”


Printer-friendly format




Do you know someone else who would like to see this?
Your Email:
Their Email:
Comment:
(Will be included with e-mail)
Secret Code

In the box below, enter the Secret Code exactly as it appears above *


 

website hit 
counter
Powered by Bondware
News Publishing Software

The browser you are using is outdated!

You may not be getting all you can out of your browsing experience
and may be open to security risks!

Consider upgrading to the latest version of your browser or choose on below: