May 12, 2020 / Associated Press
Gov. Pete Ricketts pushed back Monday against four Nebraska lawmakers who urged him to cancel a $27 million coronavirus testing contract with a group of out-of-state startup companies, calling their criticism “ludicrous” even though the program is off to a slow start and hasn’t kept up with demand.
Ricketts defended the state’s agreement with Utah-based Nomi Health and its partnering companies but acknowledged some early problems with the TestNebraska program. The same companies have similar no-bid contracts with Iowa and Utah that have come under scrutiny as states scramble to conduct more tests.
TestNebraska produced 2,358 test results last week — well short of projected 3,000 per day that’s expected by the end of the month, when the ramp-up period is supposed to end.
