Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Dave Adkisson says he’s at odds with Governor-elect Matt Bevin over dismantling the state-run healthcare exchange Kynect, but would support his efforts to pass Right-to-Work laws in the state.
Adkisson spoke to WKMS following the Murray-Calloway Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.
Adkisson says the CoC backed a state-run exchange rather than a federal one when the Affordable Care Act was implemented.
“Our feeling was we’d rather have an exchange created in Kentucky and run by Kentuckians then we would a federal exchange, so that puts us at odds to some extent with the campaign position of Governor Matt Bevin took," said Adkisson. "So it’s going to be interesting to see how all that works out.”
Adkisson says another major challenge facing Bevin is the Medicaid expansion and how he will examine whether the state can afford taking on future costs in the upcoming legislative budget sessions.
Adkisson does agree with Bevin, a businessman, on Kentucky becoming a Right-to-Work state and says those laws are coming but the question is how and when.
“So with a new governor firmly espousing Right-to-Work, the business community firmly behind Right-to-Work, it will have momentum, I think it will get hearings in a couple of legislative sessions," said Adkisson. "Clearly the House of Representatives is not there yet, they will probably resist that, but I think Right-to-Work is going to come to Kentucky at some point, the question is how much political fervor will there be between now and then?”
The Kentucky General Assembly convenes Jan 5.
Bevin takes office as Kentucky governor Dec 8.