Mark Harris — Mentioned indirectly as 'Representative Stone' in the transcript; likely a transcription error, but not corrected because uncertain.
Brandon Shippy — Referenced as the director under whom the division was reorganized last year.
Brandon Shippy — Representative Stone opened the exchange with a light remark and then asked whether contract payment milestones are set by the department or by statute. The director responded to Stone’s question, and the discussion also referenced Representative Raibold and Senator Cook as being involved in creating the MMIS dedicated fund and supporting milestone-based payments.
Steven Tanner — Representative Steven Tanner was mentioned in connection with concerns about the agency’s request and review process, including that the agency wanted to complete additional review work before briefing the legislature.
Brian Lenney — Brian Lenney is referenced in the context of concerns raised about the agency's request and review process, including that the agency wants to complete additional review work before providing a legislative briefing.
Brian Lenney — Brian Lenney questioned the department about a contractor being paid partly based on performance and the share of collections they would receive, warning that such an arrangement could create a bounty system and encourage overly aggressive contractor behavior. He then asked whether the department was exploring the use of AI to help perform some of the work internally.
David Leavitt — Representative Leavitt questions why the $14 million appropriation is being requested again, noting her understanding that it was supposed to be a one-time appropriation last year. The director responds directly, confirming that they are indeed requesting it again.
Dori Healey — Asked about the estate recovery system contractor and whether the committee could return to earlier slides.
Dori Healey — Asked how much the state recovery system contractor recovers annually and where the money goes.
Dori Healey — Referenced as having asked a prior question about the estate recovery program.
Jordan Redman — Asked whether re-procurement is on hold pending litigation.
Jordan Redman — Asked whether improper payments are included within program integrity.
Jordan Redman — Representative Redman asks whether the $22 million need includes the $25 million from the Millennium Fund being sent to the General Fund, and the Director answers yes.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Josh Wheeler asked a series of related questions about the contractor recovery process, including how the contractor model works, how much contractors can recover, what the procurement process will be for both contractors, and when recoveries are expected to begin. The discussion focused on the practical steps and timeline for starting recoveries, with an estimate that recoveries could begin by next fall or early winter.
Josh Wheeler — Representative Wheeler asked what expertise the department is seeking for the new positions, expressing concern about finding qualified hires, and then followed up by asking whether three Medicaid-only hires would move Medicaid contracts to the top of the queue.
Melissa Wintrow — Representative Redmond asked whether the department was considering hiring a contractor to assist with improper payment work. The Director responded to that question, and the discussion continued with follow-up remarks about improper payments and payment error rate measurement.
Don Hall — Representative Furman asks a question, and Don Hall responds by giving a brief, nutshell explanation focused on forecast methodology.
Lori McCann — Asked how disability assessments and levels of care are determined and reviewed.
Lori McCann — Addressed by the director in response to her question.
Lori McCann — Asked whether the department could absorb Liberty's assessment function and save money.
Marco Erickson — Representative Erickson raises and elaborates on concerns about Liberty and related high-level services, focusing on whether adequate safeguards are in place. He points to examples from his community and questions whether provider incentives could create risks or weaken those safeguards.
Marco Erickson — Representative Erickson says he has been asking for this authority for several years and refers to specific youth cases, including one involving a prolonged hospital stay, as examples supporting the need for the authority. Later mentions simply reference his earlier comments about those one-off cases.
Ben Fuhriman — Representative Furman followed up on a presentation slide about a one-time rate adjustment, asking whether reserves should be used to replace the $17.2 million adjustment and seeking clarification on the 4% rate reduction figures. The discussion centered on whether the replacement amount was $17,216,000 rather than $24 million, and the response clarified that the higher figure likely referred to the 2027 effect of the rate reduction, with staff offering to follow up on the source of the $24 million number.
Mark Harris — Representative Furman, after being recognized, asks whether the authority also covers costs when youth must be placed in detention facilities or county jails because no home placement can be found.
Sasha O'Connell — Noted as being present in the room this morning.
Robert Beiswenger — Representative Beiswenger asked whether certain disability subgroups, diagnoses, or treatments are increasing faster than expected and whether any specific diagnoses are driving the trend. The director responded to his question, and later remarks referred back to Beiswenger’s earlier question in the ongoing discussion.
Robert Beiswenger — Asks whether the federal government gave states extra flexibility when lowering the SNAP match rate from 50% to 25%.
Megan Egbert — Representative Megan Egbert asked whether the growth in the Medicaid budget is being driven by increased use of high-level services and suggested that investing in lower levels of care could help prevent more expensive services later. The director then responded to her question in the same discussion.
Lori McCann — Asked how disability assessments and levels of care are determined and reviewed.