Lawmaker introduces bill to reform Oklahoma Health Care Authority instead of the Governor’s Medicaid expansion plan

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – One lawmaker has launched a invoice to place in an inner managed care system for Medicaid as a substitute of outsourcing it. 

Earlier this yr, Gov. Kevin Stitt introduced a managed Medicaid program, which outsources administration for these on Medicaid to 4 insurance coverage firms.

Rep. Marcus McEntire’s invoice desires to have the Oklahoma Well being Care Authority reformed to handle Medicaid.

It reads partially: “The Oklahoma Well being Care Authority shall implement the Oklahomans Caring for Oklahomans Act creating a program that controls prices and improves well being outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries.”

The consultant wasn’t accessible Thursday after we had been seeking to converse with him on the Capitol.

The Oklahoma Well being Care Authority is sticking with the governor’s plan.

“Our view is the superior various is to hitch with third celebration managed care organizations to help us in conducting our dedication,” Kevin Corbett, CEO of the Oklahoma Well being Care Authority, stated. “The managed care organizations, like every other well being plan, could have suppliers of their community. However our members have the chance to be served by suppliers who aren’t within the community. They are going to be paid as a non-network out-of-network supplier.”

He says creating a brand new program can be expensive and take time.

“It has a major quantity of danger due to standing up and constructing a brand new group internally definitely has a price ingredient to it,” he stated.

Stitt launched an announcement that reads:

“It’s irresponsible to make use of a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer {dollars} to require a state company to create a program that already exists and is efficiently applied in 40 different states.

Oklahomans don’t wish to observe Joe Biden’s playbook and proceed to develop a single-payer, government well being care program that has led to Oklahoma rating forty ninth in well being outcomes.

Oklahomans need and deserve higher, which is why SoonerSelect is the proper path ahead to enhance the well being of Oklahomans.”