Patrick B. McGuigan, for The Southwest Ledger
OKLAHOMA CITY – Senator Kim David, R-Porter, is the Oklahoma Senate Majority Ground Chief.
David is among the many most distinguished legislative supporters of managed care as Oklahoma strikes towards Medicaid enlargement over the stability of this 12 months calendar 12 months.
Greater than alliteration, there are two different skilled girls with a “Ok” identify who’re passionate of their perception that Oklahoma should advance properly as state leaders develop Oklahoma’s voter-approved model of enlargement.
Kaitlyn Finley started as a summer season intern however is now a coverage analysis fellow, centered on healthcare and welfare coverage, on the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA).
The state’s main “suppose tank” supporting free market public coverage reforms introduced the graduate of the College of Science and Arts in Oklahoma to Lincoln Boulevard after she interned for the Heritage Basis in Washington D.C., and labored on the U.S. Senate Committee on Surroundings and Public Works.
For the final three years, she has crafted greater than six dozen readable and referenced essays on numerous features of well being system (and different) points. Typically her focus is on a specific piece of laws, unsurprising given OCPA’s constant emphasis on the actual world of coverage growth.
Different instances Finley’s deeply knowledgeable examinations contact on broader themes of public coverage – such because the ways in which shopper selection is disrupting the established order, how particular person selection can empower those that have felt powerless and scores of different themes.
Her help for a system of Managed Look after Medicaid Growth, evidenced in feedback for this reporter’s March 18 evaluation, doesn’t imply she is uncritical of the Oklahoma Well being Care Authority, the state authorities company that has superior Governor Kevin Stitt’s agenda for managed care. She mentioned in a current interview {that a} 2023 audit “discovered the Oklahoma Well being Care Authority (OHCA) lacks mandatory eligibility and fraud prevention processes to make sure correct program accountability with taxpayer {dollars}. Maybe extra present sources needs to be directed to correctly confirm candidates and supplier reimbursement.”
One other of this author’s designated “Particular Ok’s” is Karma Robinson, president of GR Professional, a public affairs agency that features each coverage advocacy and unbiased political motion in its portfolio.
She is guiding the work of Oklahomans for Higher Medicaid, making her an necessary voice in countering Managed Care nay-saying from the highly effective Oklahoma State Medical Affiliation and its allies.
In February, a kick-off press launch for OFBM described the group as “a multistakeholder advocacy group dedicated to constructing a Medicaid system that improves entry, high quality, outcomes and affordability. …”
The group contains “affected person advocates, clinicians, community-based organizations, well being care leaders and suppliers, well being plans, and others who’re champions of Medicaid and Medicaid Managed Care. OFBM plans to work intently with key stakeholders as Oklahoma begins to modernize its Medicaid program.
Members of OFBM, Robinson mentioned, “imagine Medicaid Managed Care is the easiest way to enhance the well being and wellbeing of Medicaid beneficiaries in Oklahoma by increasing entry to care, enhancing the well being care expertise and decreasing prices.”
Teams concerned with OFBM embrace Oklahoma Charitable Clinic Affiliation, Youth Villages, Progressive Independence, BlueCross BlueShield of Oklahoma, UnitedHealth Group, and the Hope Analysis Middle.
The group has established a presence on Twitter, LinkedIn and Fb.
Kaitlyn Finley, Karma Robinson and, to make certain, Kim David.
Within the thoughts of a veteran evaluation of occasions underneath the dome on the State Capitol, this season’s “Particular Ok’s.”
Be aware: This reflection first appeared at The SouthWest Ledger (Elgin, Oklahoma), March 25 print version. It’s reposted right here with permission.
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