Small: Time to focus on Medicaid outcomes

Time to focus on Medicaid outcomes By Jonathan Small Opponents of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s call to use private contractors to oversee managed care in Medicaid say the existing system works well and doesn’t need to be fixed because the program rapidly pays providers. But Medicaid doesn’t exist to provide cash flow to medical providers. It exists to provide health care to citizens on the welfare program and improve their outcomes. By that metric, Oklahoma’s Medicaid program fares poorly. The state’s health outcomes rank among the nation’s worst. Managed care could improve medical outcomes and reduce the rapid growth in Medicaid expenses, which is especially necessary now that more than 600,000 able-bodied adults may be added to Oklahoma’s program due to expansion. The leader of the state’s college system notes that rising Medicaid costs have already diverted millions away from education. That problem will only grow worse with time unless Medicaid is brought under some level of control. Without managed care, Medicaid costs will continue to skyrocket and require offsetting cuts to things like school funding and public safety and/or tax increases on working families. Read more » by Jamison Faught - February 07, 2021 at 01:45PM

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