Stitt shuffles Medicaid stance

OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, just one month into his tenure as Oklahoma’s chief executive, said he has been busy learning all he can about how best to govern the state. That learning process also spurred a change in Stitt’s viewpoint on expanding Medicaid — where he is now saying he could be open to the idea.

“I’m not going to say never. I need to learn more about it,” Stitt said in response to a question about Medicaid expansion during a meeting with members of the Oklahoma Press Association on Thursday.

The governor’s comments are strikingly different from those he shared on the campaign trail, where he was firmly against the expansion of Medicaid in Oklahoma under the Affordable Care Act. During Monday’s State of the State address to Oklahoma lawmakers, Stitt said he was reluctant to accept more federal dollars for healthcare.

“While Medicaid expansion currently stops at a 90 percent federal match, we cannot assume that it will remain this high forever,” he said Monday. “The estimated $150 million price tag today for Oklahoma to expand Medicaid could leave us down the road fronting more than $1 billion when the federal government pulls back on its commitment. They’ve done it before and they will do it again.”

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