Kansas is joining a proposed compact with other states hoping to exempt themselves from the federal health care overhaul.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback announced Wednesday he signed a compact bill passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature earlier this month. The new law takes effect July 1.

The compact would let participating states remove themselves from all federal health regulations if Congress consents.

Americans for Prosperity hailed the signing of the bill.

"Health care decisions should be made by Kansas officials, not the federal government," said Jeff Glendening, director of AFP-Kansas. "With congressional approval, the Health Care Compact will transfer control of federal health care funding from Washington, D.C., to Kansas. It supports the state’s ability to control its own health care system."

Many Republicans strongly oppose the federal health care law championed by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Critics of the bill questioned whether Congress would approve a compact. They also suggested member states could cut Medicare benefits for seniors. Brownback said the federal health overhaul represents a bigger threat.

House Minority Leader Paul Davis, Brownback’s presumptive Democratic challenger in the governor’s race, said Brownback was "putting his own politics ahead of Kansans yet again." Davis noted that Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger had urged the governor to veto the bill.

"We should not threaten the care of hundreds of thousands of seniors," Davis said. "In his effort to score political points, Gov. Brownback ignored these calls for common-sense leadership."

One of the most vocal critics of the compact was the Kansas chapter of AARP. Maren Turner, the chapter’s director, said her organization is "extremely disappointed HB 2553 has now been signed into law."

"It’s very clear that this will impact Medicare," Turner said.

The Texas-based group pushing the compact says eight other states have enacted similar laws, including Missouri.

Curtis Ellis, a spokesman for Competitive Governance Action, called the compact bill a "regulatory shield" and said his organization was extremely pleased Brownback signed it into law.

"This is an essential first step in protecting seniors, protecting Medicare and returning local decision-making power to the people of Kansas," Ellis said.

Ellis called AARP’s assertion that the compact threatens the future of Medicare "absolutely ridiculous." Ellis said the real threat to Medicare comes at the federal level.

"We know that Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, or whatever you want to call it, makes hundreds of millions in cuts to Medicare," Ellis said. "Obamacare has begun the process of dismantling Medicare as we know it."

Ellis said AARP supports the federal health care law because it stands to gain financially from it through royalties on the sales of "Medigap" private insurance plans that cover things Medicare doesn’t. Ellis’ organization, a 501(c)(4), isn’t required to disclose donor information, but he said it "does not get one red cent" from anyone associated with the insurance industry.

Turner said AARP continues to support the ACA because it "closes the donut hole" between the initial coverage limit on prescription drugs and the "catastrophic" coverage threshold for Medicare recipients.

Turner said knee-jerk opposition to the federal law within the Kansas Legislature had drowned out any information about flaws in the compact scheme.

"It appears that disdain for the ACA trumps any efforts to make sure Kansans get the health care they need," Turner said.