By ANDY MARSO

The state official who heads KanCare said Friday that the Medicaid program’s long-vacant inspector general position may not need to be filled. The KanCare inspector general would serve as a watchdog over the $3 billion contracts the state awarded to three private insurance companies to administer

Medicaid services. Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told a legislative committee Friday that the state is struggling to find a qualified candidate who will take on the job. But she said the program still has plenty of oversight at the federal level, with audits from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Medicaid Integrity Institute, which is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Justice. “We consider the integrity of the program as one of our highest priorities,” Mosier said.

“One of the reasons I talked about the other sorts of audits that are going in is, there are protections in place.” Rep. Jim Ward, a Democrat and frequent KanCare critic, asked whether that meant Mosier’s department believes KanCare doesn’t need an inspector general.

“Is that what you’re advocating?” Ward asked. “I think that’s actually a fair question to ask,” Mosier said. Mosier said the KanCare inspector general was a relatively new position and the state should ask “what is our goal in terms of program integrity and are we meeting it through all the other areas.”

After the hearing Mosier said the search for an inspector general continues but it’s worth considering whether the position should be eliminated. “It is something that we should review in terms of whether or not that position would be needed in the future,” Mosier said. “That decision hasn’t been made. That’s just something to consider.” Mosier said the Legislature would need to pass a bill to eliminate the position.

The inspector general position has been vacant for almost a year, after the appointment of former Rep. Phil Hermanson faltered. Hermanson, a Wichita Republican, resigned prior to a Senate confirmation hearing after questions arose about his qualifications and background. Ward said the previous willingness to appoint someone with a background as thin as

Hermanson’s made it hard to believe Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration was now finding it difficult to find anyone it would deem suitable for the $77,000 per year job.

“I don’t think they want an inspector general,” Ward said. The administration has said it changed its vetting process for the position after Hermanson resigned. Ward said his preference would be to fill the position even if it requires a pay bump, but if the administration requested the job be eliminated, he believes it would have the votes. Sean Gatewood, interim executive director of the Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, said it would be a mistake to eliminate the inspector general because it provides the only state-level independent oversight of KanCare, which is one of the state’s largest expenses and serves more than 400,000 Kansans.

“We obviously believe that that much state money and this many lives in the balance need some sort of independent oversight,” Gatewood said.

Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.