Health care once again will be at the forefront in the coming months with a state question and movement on managed care. Your OAFP legislative team will continue to monitor through the fall and keep you updated.
State Question 814 on the Nov. 3 ballot would change the allocation of future tobacco master settlement funds, which tobacco companies pay as a result of the lawsuit in the late 1990s. The question states that 75 percent of future payments would go to the legislature to pay for Medicaid rather than going into the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. The remaining 25 percent would continue to go to the TSET corpus. The OAFP has supported TSET and its programs since the beginning. Points of note:
If you have more questions about TSET or the state question, please feel free to contact your OAFP legislative team. This article from The Oklahoman also has additional information.
The move toward managed care for the state’s Medicaid population is the other issue on the agenda through the fall. Gov. Stitt has directed the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to seek bids for privatized managed care for Medicaid.
Your OAFP team will be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, if you have objections, continue to express them to your legislators.