JAC Agency Hearings JAC Index 01-08-18 am1 Tuesday, January 9, 2018 Agenda: AM 044 – Insurance Commission 007 – Military Department 038 – Pari-Mutuel State Lottery Commission 1/9/2018 11:03:21 AM Chairman of the Day – Senator Burns Roll Call by Don Richards: quorum established 044 – Insurance Commission, Tom Glause, Jeff Rude, Deputy Commissioner, Cheryl Fiechtner, Human Resources, over view of the department as introduction, WINHealth lawsuit Nicholas: total amount of liquidation Glause: $25M in claims, suit filed against Feds Nicholas: payout goes where Glause: Wyoming Life and Health Guarantee Association is the creditor, money would be held there Larsen: Guarantee Association makeup, who oversees them Glause: single state, is with the office of the commissioner, budget is enterprise funds, 1130 insurance companies, $27K/insurance company, no GF used in admin, pg. 7, exception request priorities, #1, computer hardware, largest exception request #3 to study a 1332 waiver, section waives portions of the ACA, a consultant would be hired for the $200K, pg. 18, communication question, pg. 16, health insurance on the exchange discussion, request for a report on current enrollees and subsidy receivers, etc. Sommers: navigation website – difficult, large deductibles not available Glause: through ACA does not allow for catastrophic deductibles Driskill: Idaho initiative Glause: not well versed on initiative, they have a state exchange and more carriers vs. Wyoming, WY Cert plans limited, one carrier participating, shelved program Larsen: purchasing health insurance across state lines challenges Glause: sales across state lines seem to solve some of our problems, partnering with neighboring states, WY not attractive to other states as our health care costs are higher than most, would raise their rates, just purchase out of state plans, network in state problems, raise rates for locals, not a good solution is sight yet, WY has unique problems compared to other states Sommers: why wouldn’t folks buy insurance in a neighboring state who live close to the state line Glause: WY has a small health insurance pool and going out of state would stress the pool with less healthy individuals being left in the state Driskill: allowing individuals to piggyback on larger company pools for rate relief Glause: Study done along those lines, WHIP will sunset in 2020, legislation coming to extend date, 825 enrolled, $1.5 M in exception request #4 1/9/2018 11:03:21 AM Wilson: pg. 21 questions Glause: explanation of assessments goes into GF, spending down reserves, pg. 7, exception $36K cut WHIP Burns: Medicare supplement for those under 65, disabled, level 1 and 2 participants Sommers: requested report Hastert: review getting individuals rolled into a larger company health insurance pool for lower rates Glause: what is left will probably be a sicker population and driving up rates Driskill: legal to segregate pools? Glause: will of the state, state pays 85% of employees insurance, paying close to $1200/year for an individual. Concluded 1/9/2018 11:03:21 AM Break 1/9/2018 11:03:21 AM 007 – Military Department, MG Reiner, Doug Shope, Deputy Director, introduced staff, gave update on deployments and kudos received about Guard support around the world, changing world climate, local challenges throughout state, budget balancing, maintenance funding Shope: pg. 9, exception request priority list, pg. 16, unit 0101, state affairs budget, Priority #2, armory operations and maintenance Burkhart: on going vs onetime expenses/ money asked for Shope: ongoing expenses, continuously rising, part of our standard budget Hastert: Laramie utilities doubling, RP repairs Shope: normal sustainment repairs of facilities Burns: pg. 16, 17 numbers Reienr: utility cost related to size increase in new facilities Larsen: gov’s rec is $50K Shope: alternative utilities were considered but not recommended, 2 requests for new armories, built of Fed property, 100% Fed money, one on Guernsey, training site readiness center, 25% state responsibility Nicholas: state facilities oversite? Maintenance with in house forces? O & M budget, what has been the history in funding requests for Guard, Reiner: buildings built to federal standards, efficient, economical means of support for electricity, HVAC, requests are brought in front of the legislature, no cannot use in house forces for regular maintenance – need to train for contingencies Shope: budget reflects o & m dollars, have not significantly increased our budget, Gov’s rec reflects bare minimum, explained difference between RP maintenance and other maintenance, professional services, priority #6, Real Property Lease Increase, pg. 18, priority #9, state affairs computers and software, $4K, pg. 21, unit 0103, educational assistance, # of participants, type of degrees, pg. 23 first responder retirement, pg. 26, air national guard, PR #3, requested an open house day for legislators Wilson; airport pays some for air traffic control 1/9/2018 11:03:21 AM Shope: we receive no income from the airport; provide air traffic control and fire and security Nicholas: less dollars available, what’s different? Reiner: Fed dollars flowing, the state has to match, 25% in order to spend the 75%, cuts have caught up and cannot fund the match our of Army Guard side Schwartz: match questions Reiner: we do not want to return fed dollars without a match, money will be found somewhere Nicholas: move money from education fund, help committee with priorities Shope: no reversion usually, pg. 27, pg. 28, PR #4, use W.S.19-7-103 (b)(xxii), pg. 33, unit 0203, STEM, 100% fed reimbursed, pg.36, unit 0302, billeting fund, self-funded, ER #11, 12 and 13, goes with 320 reduction, gov’s rec denied, pg. 42, unit 0401, pg. 43, ER #5, use of statute as above, pg. 45, PR # 7 and 8, pg. 46, PR #12, transfer a positions, pg. 52 unit 0405, extensive conversation of Challenge program, using courts to order kids to go (can’t do that), cost effectiveness of cutting classes ( teaching staff and simple program sustainability) Reiner: program viability/interest/legislature support Sommers: one pager on what federal obligation is Shope: pg. 52, 56, unit 0501, vets retiree council (guard retirees only), vets commission focuses on all vets within state, pg. 58, vets education, pg. 60, vets commission, gov’s rec approve, pg. 62, PR #1, burial benefits, Kravitsky: state cemetery burials – headstone and stipend to vet; Cheyenne cemetery update moved 6 months later, 1st interment possibly 2020, high plains arboretum area, Cheyenne VA vs Sheridan VA, quality control position, pg. 63, PR #10, computers and software, pg. 66, vets burial teams, pg. 68, unit 0505, WY vet memorial museum, Casper, pg. 74 unit 0601, Oregon trail vets cemetery, pg. 78, unit 0702, training and non-emergent missions, museum question revisited, referred to power point handout, pg. 79, pg. 82, CAP Burns: Sheridan area vets nursing home – greenhouse model Reiner: bill SF 0031 forthcoming, VA will pay 65% for new construction for a nursing facility plus a stipend for any vet within the facility Kravitsky: level 1 and 2 studies ongoing for number of beds Reiner: bed number proportional to # of vets in state; special needs considered 1/9/2018 11:52:10 AM Concluded Military