Managed Care for Oklahoma’s Medicaid Program

Oklahoma voters approved Medicaid expansion via SQ 802 in June 2020. Expansion has already extended health coverage to almost 250,000  low-income working-age parents and other adults. It has particularly benefited Oklahomans of color, which is a good first step towards improving equitable health outcomes in our state. Expansion should also provide a financial return to the state both through the injection of new federal tax dollars and the economic impact from job creation, new tax revenue, and increased economic impact.

However, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority — at the request of Gov. Stitt — may attempt to change the current SoonerCare (Oklahoma’s Medicaid program) delivery system. The previous attempt would have implemented a privatized managed care model. In early 2021, OHCA authorized $2 billion in managed care contracts to four companies. The Oklahoma Supreme Court in June 2021 struck down that plan saying the governor and OHCA implemented those changes without legislative authority.

Privatized management of the state’s Medicaid system continues to be explored by some elected officials and state administrators. 

Advocates and health care providers have expressed that the move to managed care will hurt health care delivery while increasing the program’s costs. 

Fact Sheets

• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Myths and Facts (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on State Budget in Oklahoma (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on American Indians (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on Medical Providers (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on People with Mental Health Needs (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on People of Color (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Impact on Rural Communities (PDF)
• Managed Care in Oklahoma: Full series (PDF)

Analysis 

• Privatized Managed Care: The facts
• Legislators must protect Oklahomans’ health care 
• Managed care is a bad investment for Oklahoma
• Managed care will be bad for patients and providers
• Managed care will have a disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities
• How managed care organizations work — and potentially reduce health care services for Oklahomans (Capitol Update)
• New GAO report details problems with managed care (Capitol Update)
• Lawsuit challenges OHCA’s managed care proposal (Capitol Update)
• OK Policy Statement: State officials forcing public to choose between health, government participation 
• Together Oklahoma Talks Policy: Healthy Oklahomans & Health Care (video)
• OK Policy’s Healthy Oklahomans issue summary (PDF)
• Additional resources from OK Policy

Advocacy Actions

• Contact your legislator to tell them you support the current administration of the SoonerCare program [Find Your Legislator]
• Learn more or get involved with Oklahomans Caring for Oklahomans
• Sign up for alerts and communications from OK Policy and Together Oklahoma