Move to cut off testimony in insurance hearing stirs outcry

? Democrats fumed Friday over House Insurance Committee Chairwoman Patricia Lightner’s handling of a hearing on several bills requiring expansion of health insurance coverage.

“I am just disappointed that people from all across Kansas came up here to testify on a bill and were not given the opportunity,” said Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence.

Privately, even some Republicans said they were shocked at Lightner’s behavior during the Thursday meeting. House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, said he had “heard some rumblings. I intend to check into it.”

But Lightner, R-Overland Park, said it was Davis and some others who were not adhering to committee rules.

Lightner added that she made a mistake by having too many bills on the committee’s agenda, which she said forced her to cut short testimony from some people who had traveled across the state to speak to the committee.

Davis denied that he was the problem and said Lightner had gone out of her way to accommodate insurance and business lobbyists who opposed his and other bills.

Davis’ bill would require insurance companies to provide coverage for prescription birth control. He said it wasn’t fair that insurance companies would cover the cost of Viagra for men, but some companies would not help pay for a woman’s contraceptives.

The insurance industry opposes the measure, saying the requirement would increase premiums.

The dispute at the committee hearing started when Lightner demanded that supporters of the bill provide an impact statement from the Kansas Insurance Department, which would assess the effect of the proposed mandated coverage. Such impact statements are required to be submitted to the committee prior to consideration of legislation, she said.

Davis said his testimony covered the same points as an impact statement. Lightner disagreed and shut down the meeting, leaving about 10 people who came to testify unable to do so.

“We were really denied a voice. It was not a pretty sight,” said Sylvie Rueff of Lawrence, president of the Kansas National Organization for Women.

On Friday Lightner said that if Davis had admitted he didn’t have the impact statement from the Insurance Department and simply had asked for his supporters to be given a chance to testify, she would have allowed it.

Asked about the measure at a news conference, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said she supported the bill and had pushed for it for two years when she was insurance commissioner.