LEXINGTON, Ky. — A retired University of Kentucky dental professor claims his scathing critique of Gov. Matt Bevin's plan to reshape Medicaid, eliminating dental benefits for many adults, prompted retaliation from the Bevin administration that cost him his job.

Dr. Raynor Mullins, "who had a long and successful career" with UK over 40 years promoting oral health, found himself in conflict with the Bevin administration after he and four colleagues filed public comments last year criticizing the Medicaid plan as poorly conceived and likely to drive up costs and dental disease, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington.

Bevin was "pissed off" by the comments, Stephanos Kyrkanides, the dean of the UK College of Dentistry, told Mullins, the lawsuit said.

"Kyrkanides told Dr. Mullins it was a very bad strategy to 'piss the governor off' and Dr. Mullins' public comments had indeed 'pissed off the governor,'" the lawsuit said.

The dean later fired Mullins from the post-retirement job he held at the UK Center for Oral Health Research after consulting with other faculty members on the best way to "get rid" of him, the lawsuit said.

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The lawsuit also alleges Mark D. Birdwhistell, a vice president at UK HealthCare who helped Bevin design his Medicaid proposal, was involved in discussions about the governor's displeasure with Mullins and possible retaliation.

The lawsuit, filed by Lexington lawyer Joe F. Childers, names Kyrkanides, Birdwhistell and a "John Doe" alleged to be the Bevin administration member who conveyed the governor's anger over the comments Mullins filed with state and federal officials.

It alleges they conspired to violate Mullins' right to free speech and asks for unspecified damages.

Kristi Lopez, a spokeswoman for the UK medical campus, said officials had just received the lawsuit and had no comment on behalf of Kyrkanides or Birdwhistell.

Amanda Stamper, a spokeswoman for Bevin, said they know nothing about the allegations and suggested a political motivation.

"Neither Gov. Bevin, nor anybody else in the governor's office, knows the plaintiff or has any knowledge about the allegations detailed in the media's coverage of this case," she said. "We doubt it's a coincidence that both the plaintiff and his lawyer are political donors and supporters of Steve and Andy Beshear."

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Childers gave $2,100 to former Gov. Steve Beshear between 2007 and 2011 and $1,000 to his son, Attorney General Andy Beshear in 2015, according to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Mullins made a single donation of $250 to Andy Beshear in 2011, according to the registry.

Neither Beshear, both Democrats, are involved in the lawsuit but have been repeatedly singled out for criticism by Bevin, a Republican.

In a brief statement at a press conference in Lexington Wednesday, Mullins, 74, said it wasn't an easy decision to file the lawsuit, saying he had "great affection" for both UK and the state. But he said he was motivated by his desire to "inject transparency" into the circumstances surrounding his departure from his job at UK.

Childers said the lawsuit raised troubling questions about academic freedom at UK.

"The university should take this seriously," he said.

Childers said he will attempt to learn the identity of the source of the alleged pressure from the governor's office through open records requests and discovery, which allows him to seek information from defendants in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit comes as the federal government reviews Bevin's request to scale back Medicaid benefits largely for the "expansion population" of about 440,000 adults added under the Affordable Care Act. The expansion was enacted by former Gov. Beshear.

Bevin needs federal approval to enact changes aimed at "able-bodied adults" such as adding monthly premiums and eliminating dental and vision care as basic benefits.

The lawsuit claims that "Gov. Bevin and/or his agents improperly tampered with a legally required federal and state public Medicaid waiver process."

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As part of Bevin's request for a "waiver," or federal approval to change basic Medicaid benefits, the public is allowed to file written comments about the changes and many people did, most of them largely critical of the plan.

The comments filed by Mullins and four colleagues with long careers in oral health, were particularly upsetting to the Bevin administration and Kyrkanides, the UK dental dean, warned Mullins of that repeatedly, the lawsuit alleges.

The decision to remove dental and vision care from standard Medicaid benefits was controversial in a state with high rates of dental decay and disease and conditions often detected through routine eye exams, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Despite vehement protests by dental and vision professionals across Kentucky, the Bevin administration declined to restore dental and vision care as standard benefits in the proposal. Instead, people on Medicaid would have to earn points through a "My Rewards" account from activities such as job training or volunteer work that would go toward the purchase of dental or vision services.

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Mullins' lawsuit said he learned of the governor's anger shortly after he first filed the comments with Kentucky officials in July 2016.

It alleges that Bevin, Birdwhistell and/or others in the Bevin administration called Kyrkanides while he was vacationing in Greece and "communicated their displeasure."

After Kyrkanides returned from vacation, he discussed his concerns with other faculty members at the dental college and his interest in terminating Mullins in retaliation for the public comments, the lawsuit said.

Kyrkanides told Mullins that "these threats flowed directly from the governor's office," the lawsuit said.

The dean told one faculty member he had received a call while he was in Greece from "the governor's office" about Mullins and that Mullins "has to go." Kyrkanides told other faculty members he had to "figure out how to get rid of Raynor Mullins," the lawsuit said.

In October, Mullins and his colleagues filed their same comments objecting to Bevin's proposal with the federal government, which "further infuriated" Bevin and officials in his administration, the lawsuit said.

In January, Mullins was notified that his post-retirement faculty job at UK would not be renewed and his employment was terminated.

The action abruptly ended a successful academic career in which Mullins worked to improve oral health throughout Kentucky, the lawsuit said.

Childers said that Mullins hopes to have his job restored, commenting "the doctor would like to go back to work."

Contact reporter Deborah Yetter at 502-582-4228 or at dyetter@courier-journal.com.