Oklahoma high court strikes down governor's Medicaid outsourcing plan
Source: Associated Press
Oklahoma high court strikes down governors Medicaid plan
By SEAN MURPHY
June 2, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Gov. Kevin Stitts plan to privatize much of the states Medicaid program is unconstitutional.
In a 6-3 ruling Tuesday, the court determined the Oklahoma Health Care Authority did not have the legislative approval to move forward with the plan, dubbed SoonerSelect.
We find no express grant of legislative authority to create the SoonerSelect program nor do we find the extant statutes implicitly authorize its creation, the ruling states.
The court also determined a constitutional amendment approved by voters last year to expand Medicaid to more low-income people also did not authorize a new managed-care program like SoonerSelect.
The court also found that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the states Medicaid agency, should have made the rules governing competitive bidding widely known prior to implementing a request for proposal and the awarding of contracts.
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https://apnews.com/article/ok-state-wire-oklahoma-courts-medicaid-government-and-politics-b32067ff15bad7347c27cf64a923629c