Paul Davis, Democratic candidate for governor, came with a refreshing message here Tuesday. TAKE KPERS. EXPANDING Medicaid to include those who make less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level is a win-win for Kansas, Davis said. DAVIS DOESN’T pretend to know all the answers.
Yes, many are unhappy with the leadership of Gov. Sam Brownback. And no, he is not guaranteed a second term.
Davis, in fact, is a sound alternative.
Davis, 41, has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 46th District, home to Lawrence.
A Kansas native, he is an attorney by profession. He is married to Stefanie, a psychologist who specializes in trauma recovery to U.S. veterans. They have a daughter, Caroline, 3.
He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Washburn University’s law school.
He comes with no political agenda other than his own. He’s not in tow with Wichita’s billionaire Koch brothers or any other bigwigs.
He’s not afraid to tackle hard issues.
The retirement plan for state employees is woefully underfunded and is a $10.3 billion liability.
“Democrats and Republicans deserve equal blame on this,” he said in a visit Tuesday afternoon. “They have not heeded the warning signs,” first signaled in the early 1990s.
This last session, legislators voted to increase both state and employee contributions to the fund.
“If we stay on track we’ll move to solvency,” he said. “It’s imperative we stay on this path and pay our fair share as a state.”
While it may not seem necessary to point out the obvious, Davis knows all too well how many hands will want to dip into that pot.
Today, the program has only enough funds to take public employees up through 2033 with benefits.
“Many people have stayed with their jobs because of the state’s retirement program,” Davis said. “We need to honor that commitment.”
Davis is not convinced moving the retirement funds into a defined contribution plan such as a 401(k) is best. “There’s lots of people who would love to manage this money,” he said of investment firms courting state legislators. Currently, the state provides a defined benefit plan that promises a specific monthly benefit at retirement. If moved into a defined contribution plan, state and employee contributions are invested in the stock market and either gain or lose in value according to its fluctuations.
Gov. Brownback deferred action to accept federal funding for the program, giving the decision to state legislators, who failed to take action this last term.
If expanded, the program would benefit an estimated 240,000 Kansans, half of them children.
“I don’t really know what the governor thinks about this. He hasn’t taken a stance on it,” Davis said.
If Davis had the authority, he would accept the program for Kansas.
“It makes sense for the state as a whole. Our hospitals, nursing homes and home health programs are all now forced to carry a bigger financial burden to treat the elderly and indigent without the expanded program. It also will provide health insurance to 100,000 Kansans, including some who have never had health insurance in their entire lives.”
Davis noted many Republican governors who opposed the Affordable Care Act have since endorsed the Medicaid expansion for their states, including those in New Jersey, Ohio and Florida.
But his instincts tell him things are not going well for the state and that if this trajectory is continued, we’re in for a heap of hurt.
Reason enough to tag along as the campaign unfolds.
— Susan Lynn
Paul Davis deserves keeping an eye on
