Mark Birdwhistell, the former CHA Health executive, was at meetings with the governor both before and after the state sent out bid specifications, said Mike Burnside, an executive director in the state's Finance and Administration Cabinet. Shawn Crouch, former CHA director of government relations and compliance, also would have sat in as an adviser at those meetings, Burnside said.

"They would have provided analysis of the data that we had received so far," Burnside said. "But as far as influencing the final outcome of the contract award, no, they did not have an influence on that."

The House State Government Committee has been investigating, among other things, the role the former CHA Health executives played in negotiations that led to the state's new health insurance plans. The attorney general's office is also looking at the matter.

Birdwhistell is now an undersecretary in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. He was chief executive officer until January at CHA Health, which is 84 percent owned by the University of Kentucky.

Rep. Charles Geveden, the committee chairman, said "there's got to be a perception that there might have been some undue influence on the part of somebody."

Fletcher's chief of staff Daniel Groves called the investigation "the very definition of a witch-hunt" by Geveden and said there have been no allegations, nor evidence of wrongdoing.

"I don't think there's any question it's political, and I think people see this," Groves said in a telephone interview. "He has no evidence of anything illegal, unethical or inappropriate. He's just digging and grandstanding for political purposes."

Geveden, D-Wickliffe, has said the investigation is not political.

CHA is one of four insurance companies that were awarded contracts with the state to carry next year's state health insurance plan.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced last month drastic changes to the state's health insurance plan, which covers 229,000 retired and active public school and state employees.

Teachers have threatened to strike Oct. 27 if the current benefits aren't restored. Calling the situation a "crisis," Fletcher called the General Assembly into a special session, which began Tuesday.