Weekly Opinion Editorial
OKLAHOMA HEALTHCARE
IN CRISIS!
by Steve Fair
Governor Kevin Stitt has requested that
Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd audit the Oklahoma Health
Care Authority (OHCA) on Medicaid enrollment in the state from 2015-2018. The
audit requests the auditor determine 1) if the OHCA is meeting the mandatory
requirements for eligibility for the Medicaid Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP), 2) if those enrolled in the CHIP program meet the requirements
for enrollment, and 3) if the OHCA is processing and removing those who aren’t eligible
for the program.
“It is
important that we ensure our resources are supporting those in our state that
need it the most,” said the governor. “States across the nation have
already completed Medicaid audits and found significant savings because of it.
I believe this audit will allow us to continue to be transparent and efficient
with taxpayer dollars while also ensuring we are providing a safety net for the
most vulnerable in Oklahoma.”
Medicaid is a federal and state
entitlement program that provides medical benefits to low-income individuals
who have no or inadequate health insurance coverage. In 2019, the federal
government is funding 62.38% of Oklahoma Medicaid, aka SoonerCare, and Oklahoma
taxpayers the other 38%.
During his campaign for governor, then
candidate Stitt said he opposed the expansion of Medicaid, but that may not
still be the case. At a news conference less
than two weeks after being sworn into office, Governor Stitt said he might
expand it, but needed to know more about it(Medicaid), which is probably why he
requested the audit.
Clearly Oklahoma has a health
crisis. According to the United Health Foundation, Oklahoma
is one of the unhealthiest states in the country with obesity being a major
factor. It’s no wonder we are fat since
the state meal is fried okra, cornbread, barbecue pork, squash, biscuits,
sausage and gravy, grits, corn, chicken fried steak, black-eyed peas and pecan
pie.
One in seven Oklahomans are uninsured, which
is one of the highest rates in the U.S., but doesn’t that speak more to individual
responsibility than government intervention?
Is it Oklahoma taxpayers responsibility to provide health care coverage
to those who can’t afford it? It would seem that is the universal consensus,
but when does a hand up become a hand out?
It’s a fact Oklahoma rural hospital facilities
are struggling and are closing because many of those they serve are uninsured
or underinsured, but is it the responsiability of hardworking Oklahoma
taxpayers to pay the bill? That’s a
tough question and there is no easy answer, but last week the governor signed a
bill giving him authority to hire and fire the head of the OHCA. Now instead of an appointed board overseeing
the agency, the governor can act unilaterally.
If the audit reveals negligence in handling the CHIP program, will that
result in policy and/or personnel changes at the OHCA?
The problem with expanding Medicaid in the
Sooner state is twofold: (1) There is no guarantee the feds are going to
continue to provide matching monies for the program, and (2) Once someone gets
on the program, they tend to become dependent on it. It is next to impossible to pull back a
government program. Governor Stitt
should proceed with caution when dealing with Oklahoma healthcare and the
expansion of Medicaid.
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