Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, left, addresses a question from the audience during a legislative forum Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, at the Lawrence Senior Center. Other legislators in attendance from left were: TerriLois Gregory, Tom Sloan, William Prescott, Marci Francisco, Paul Davis, Ann Mah and Tom Holland. by Karrey Britt

State legislators warned Douglas County residents that sweeping changes will be debated during the 2012 session.

Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said past governors have tweaked programs and funding, but Gov. Sam Brownback wants to implement serious changes.

“They will impact the daily lives of people,” he said during a two-hour forum Wednesday afternoon at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt., that was attended by about 40 people. The forum was sponsored by the Lawrence chapter of the Older Women’s League and the Douglas County Coalition on Aging.

Rep. William Prescott, R-Osage City, said typically there are one or two hot-button issues, but this year there will be three times that number.

“This is the best soap opera in Kansas,” he said laughing.

Other legislators at the forum were: Sens. Tom Holland and Marci Francisco, and Representatives TerriLois Gregory, Tom Sloan, Ann Mah and Barbara Ballard.

Among the hot-button issues is Medicaid reform. The Brownback administration is looking to cut at least $200 million from the $1 billion price tag that the state pays for the program. There are 324,000 beneficiaries, including 37,500 seniors and 71,600 people with disabilities. Fifty percent of seniors rely on Medicaid for nursing home care.

All of the legislators expressed concern about Medicaid reform. Davis doesn’t want to see changes in eligibility or benefits. Francisco and Prescott said that finding providers is difficult now, so they don’t want to see lower reimbursement rates.

“It’s a gigantic problem and we have to deal with it,” Davis said. That’s because the program is adding about 20,000 people annually.

The biggest problem is that the plan for Medicaid reform still hasn’t been released, and under the proposed plan, it will be implemented in July. Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer’s office has been saying the details will be released in a couple of weeks for the past two months.

Mitzi McFatrich, the moderator and a member of the Douglas County Coalition on Aging, said the time frame is a real concern because there will be no time to formulate a response.

“When we are talking about Medicaid, we are already talking about people who don’t have resources, who are vulnerable and who desperately need the assistance of the state,” she said.

While taking questions from the audience, a gentleman stood up and asked the legislators what they were doing to help with higher property taxes in Douglas County. Although he said he would be paying off his home in a couple of years, he fears he won’t be able to afford the taxes and will lose his home.

“I wish I could tell you help was on the way,” Davis said. “This administration is all about shrinking government and shrinking the budget.”

Davis said he’s concerned about a proposal to eliminate income taxes, which makes up a significant chunk of the state budget.

“It has to come from somewhere else or you have to cut something,” Davis said.

He frankly told the gentleman, “You may end up worse than before.”

Several of the legislators said they were aware of the burden of property taxes for seniors. Holland said he will never forget visiting one of his elderly constituents who was on oxygen and living at home. He told Holland that these were supposed to be his “golden years,” but instead he could barely afford to keep a roof over his head.

Ballard mentioned that she was proposing a piece of legislation that would allow seniors to pay their property taxes through quarterly payments. While it doesn’t lower property taxes, it does give seniors more time to pay them. She said her late mother used such a payment system in El Paso.

Lawrence resident Hilda Enoch, 77, was among those who attended the forum.

“I am very worried and concerned about what’s going to happen in the legislation,” she said. “I think the fact that nobody really knows and it’s going to be sprung on people — how much time there’s going to be and what we can do about it is a big question.”

Enoch said these are trying times for seniors.

“There are people who are really frightened they are going to end up in nursing homes because they don’t have options and they are going to lose their homes on top of it,” she said.

About 40 people attended a legislative forum Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, at the Lawrence Senior Center, 745 Vt. Legislators who were on the panel are, from left, Barbara Ballard, TerriLois Gregory, Tom Sloan, William Prescott, Marci Francisco, Paul Davis, Ann Mah, and Tom Holland. The addressed issues concerning older adults and people with disabilities. by Karrey Britt