WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is spending more than $215 million to overhaul a computer system that tracks information about the Medicaid health care program that covers the poor. The Wichita Eagle reports that the spending will be spread over four years and put the system in line with new federal standards. The federal government will pick up most of the tab, with about 21.3 percent coming from the state's general fund this fiscal year. The system should go live in early 2019. Heading up the project is Hewlett Packard, which announced the contract last week. The state made no announcement. Angela de Rocha is a spokeswoman for the state agencies that oversee the state's Medicaid system. She says the project would give the state the ability to analyze health progress and outcomes.
The AP is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, as a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members, it can maintain its single-minded focus on newsgathering and its commitment to the highest standards of objective, accurate journalism.