OCPA column: Medicaid expansion passed -- now we must pay for it

Medicaid expansion passed; now we must pay for it By Jonathan Small The June passage of Medicaid expansion means up to 628,000 able-bodied Oklahomans could be added to the medical-welfare program. And that creates a new challenge for state policymakers: How can they pay for expansion, particularly at a time of economic challenge? One of the best solutions is for voters to approve a pending state question that could cover roughly $50 million in expansion costs by redirecting a portion of the state’s tobacco-settlement funding to Medicaid. But that will cover only a portion of expansion costs. That’s because the true state cost of expansion is likely much higher than the laughable $164 million annual estimate supporters touted. At typical Medicaid costs, the true expense could run up to $374 million per year if all eligible citizens enroll. Proof that Medicaid-expansion proponents lowballed their cost estimates came within weeks of the ballot measure’s passage. By August, a top legislative budget leader announced cost estimates had already surged from $164 million to $246 million—so $50 million is only a down payment. Read more » by Jamison Faught - October 03, 2020 at 09:29AM

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