Despite complaints it doesn’t fall under the purview of special session, a state House committee passed a bill Thursday requiring intensive checks of Oklahoma’s Medicaid rolls every three months.
House Bill 1093 tells the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to review a wide range of records — including income, employment, residency status, enrollment in other public assistance, financial resources, incarceration status, lottery winnings and death records — for each enrollee and notify them if there’s a discrepancy.
"Not verifying the eligibility requirements for Medicaid recipients is a dereliction of our duty as representatives," said HB1093 author Rep. Terry O'Donnell. "We are the stewards of the public's money."
The health care authority estimates complying with the bill would cost roughly $130,000 a month. Some of that would likely be defrayed by federal matching funds.
Currently, there's no fiscal impact statement for HB1093, so there's no estimate of how much it may save or how much it may cost the state.
Rep. David Perryman told O’Donnell he’s concerned about a provision putting the burden of proof on SoonerCare enrollees if they’re found even potentially ineligible.
"These are Medicaid recipients that may not be able to gather that information. It says 10 days. Is that not harsh?" Perryman said.
"Well, I think it would be harsh if you delayed the restoration of benefits more than 10 days," O'Donnell said.
Right now, the health care authority typically allows 30 days to correct discrepancies.
Rep. Meloyde Blancett said no one has produced evidence that the Medicaid fraud the bill seeks to stop exists.
"I don't think that the appropriate amount of due diligence has been applied to determine whether or not this can effectively be implemented and that the [return on investment] is there," Blancett said. "It appears to be theoretical and not pragmatic."
Recent federal Medicaid audits found Oklahoma’s Medicaid error rate is 0.3 percent. Most of that is attributed to providers, which HB1039 has no provisions for.
HB1039 also requires new SoonerCare applicants to complete an online verification check that asks them about their personal and financial records.
Though House Speaker Charles McCall adjourned the special session yesterday so budget negotiations could continue at no additional cost to taxpayers, the House is proceeding with some committee meetings that had already been scheduled.
O’Donnell says the bill falls under the governor’s call for lawmakers to find more efficiencies in government during special session. The House Rules Committee passed it 6–3.
