Children's health insurance

KidCare breathes

House Labor keeps bill alive

The KidCare Chip expansion won strong approval from the House Labor committee Tuesday, although getting through required yeoman’s work by sponsor Sen. Mike Massie of Laramie, seen at right, and considerable testimony from Patti Guzman, who manages the program for the Department of Health.

Sen. Massie and Ms. Guzman went through many questions as they explained SF 39 Children’s health insurance program. Their testimony proved there is no substitute for proper planning. And Ms. Guzman deserves plenty of credit for keeping a very tight ship as she runs the program. She handled all the questions about the program expertly and competently.

Frankly, Patti Guzman puts the lie to the negative stereotyping of bureaucracies, bureaucrats, and the management of government programs.

Rick Schum of Blue Cross/Blue Shield answered questions concerning “crowd out” – the idea that KidCare Chip will encourage people to leave private insurance. That doesn’t happen, Schum told the committee. It was important testimony supporting the bill.

House Labor Health and Social Services Committee Chairman Jack Landon noted he had prepared several amendments to address what he had believed were shortcomings in the bill. But after Sen. Massie, Patti Guzman, and Rick Schum answered question after question, Chairman Landon dropped his amendments.

“I’m more comfortable with this all the time. I’m just about to wear it out,” Landon said as the hearing of the bill passed the two-hour mark. He called for a vote and the committee voted 8-1 in favor of the expansion of the KidCare program.

Only Casper Rep. Lisa Shepperson voted against the bill.

Rep. Debbie Hammons of Worland, (a co-sponsor of the bill) AARP, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Wyoming Children's Action Alliance, the Wyoming Hospital Association, and the Equality State Policy Center testified in favor of the bill.

The bill next will be re-referred to the House Appropriations committee. It must be heard by the committee by end of day Thursday then return to the floor of the House to be considered in Committee of the Whole by the Friday deadline for hearing bills listed on general file.

Advocates who can talk with members of the House Appropriations Committee should urge them to support the measure.


Helium bill hits snag

On Tuesday, the bill to impose property taxes on helium produced in Wyoming passed the Senate, 21-9, with a relatively minor amendment. On Wednesday, the House failed to concur with the amendment, triggering a conference committee along with concerns that the bill will fall victim to House-Senate wrangling. Currently, helium is the only valuable mineral produced in Wyoming that is not subject to property tax.


And on other property tax topics …

On Tuesday, the Senate Revenue Committee heard House Bill 234, which proposed a property tax exemption for home, commercial and agricultural properties. For each property, the value would be determined by a three-year rolling average, and the amount of value in excess of the average would be exempt from property tax.

The bill had significant administrative problems, and the ESPC opposed it on those grounds as well as a broader opposition to hobbling the fair market value system. The Legislature has more direct options for reducing property taxes if that is the desired outcome.

The Senate Appropriations Committee ended one of those options on Tuesday by killing HB 68, the homestead exemption bill. However, a bill expanding eligibility for the property tax refund program already has passed both houses.

ESPC researcher Sarah Gorin contributed to this report.