(via Fox16) The Arkansas Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro Tempore have requested that Gov. Asa Hutchinson remove his managed care proposal from the special session on Wednesday.
On Monday, Speaker of the House Jeremy Gillam and Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang made their requests.
Each sent an identical letter to the governor saying that the managed care proposal doesn’t have a consensus with legislators in either the House of Representatives or Senate.
“We are committed to limiting the special session to three days. Given the close proximity to the April 13 Fiscal Session, I . . . respectfully request that any legislation addressing that strategy be omitted from the call,” Gillam and Dismang said in their letters.
If the proposal was removed, that would just leave the approval of Hutchinson’s Arkansas Works program (private option overhaul) on the special session schedule.
“However, we do ask that if a consensus is reached between now and the start to the special session, that you amend the call to reflect that consensus,” the legislative leaders said.
In order to pay for the continued Medicaid expansion, Hutchinson proposed contracting with a managed care company to oversee some Medicaid programs.
A spokesman for the governor said Hutchinson will take a look at the letter and consider the request from Speaker Gillam and President Dismang. He will make a decision on Tuesday.
