By Associated Press
Frankfort, KY – A week and a half into a special legislative session, lawmakers remained divided Wednesday on how to shore up financing within the Kentucky's Medicaid program. Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Bob Leeper said questions linger on whether Governor Steve Beshear's administration can find ways to save $425 million in the Medicaid program next year, a key provision of a proposal approved by the House earlier this week. Beshear contends the savings can be achieved in large part by privatizing portions of the program that provides medical care to more than 800,000 elderly, poor and disabled Kentuckians. Leeper, an independent from Paducah and one of the leading skeptics, contends that the Medicaid could be thrown farther out of balance next year if the Beshear administration falls short in the savings, perhaps requiring a major adjustment to the state's two-year budget.