Kansas attracts 5 bidders for 3 Medicaid contracts

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas has received bids from five companies for three contracts for managing the state's $2.9 billion Medicaid program. Legislators who have been skeptical of Gov. Sam Brownback's Medicaid overhaul plan saw the number of bidders Wednesday as relatively low and suggested it signals trouble. Medicaid provides health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly.

But House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid, an Olathe Republican, said he thinks the five bids are sufficient for a competitive process. Brownback's administration plans to award the contracts this summer. The bidders include Amerigroup Corp., of Virginia Beach, Va.; Wichita-based Coventry Health Care of Kansas; and Sunflower State Health Plan, based in Topeka. Also bidding are Minnesota-based United Healthcare and WellCare of Kansas Inc., based in Tampa, Fla.