TOPEKA (AP) – Officials in Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration say they expect the federal government to give its go-ahead to an overhaul of the Medicaid program in Kansas.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said at a Friday news conference that Kansas is seeking a waiver of federal rules on Medicaid that other states previously have had waived. Colyer led the team that developed the plan for overhauling the $2.9 billion-a-year program, which covers health care for the poor, needy and disabled.

Kansas formally submitted a waiver application Thursday to the federal government. Brownback plans to turn Medicaid’s management in Kansas over to three private, managed-care companies.

The state’s application came a day before new federal rules took effect, changing how applications from states are handled. Colyer described the timing as a coincidence.