Group To Sue Oklahoma Health Care Authority Over Medicaid Cuts

The advocacy group Community Action Project of Tulsa County on Oct. 1 filed a lawsuit in Oklahoma Supreme Court against the Oklahoma Health Care Authority over cuts to the state's Medicaid program affecting 70,000 beneficiaries, the Daily Oklahoman reports. The lawsuit claims that the authority "illegally changed eligibility rules" under the state's Medicaid program (Bellamy, Daily Oklahoman, 10/1). On Sept. 18, the authority approved cuts to Medicaid aimed at offsetting a $213.4 million state budget deficit in this fiscal year (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/23). Officials reduced the program's eligibility for children ages one to five from 185% to 133% of the poverty level and reduced eligibility for children ages six to 18 to 115%. About 60,000 children are expected to lose benefits as a result of the change (Daily Oklahoman, 10/1). Officials also eliminated dental services for adult beneficiaries and lowered the number of prescriptions and in-patient hospital days the program will cover (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/23). The changes to drug coverage will affect about 9,800 seniors and people with disabilities, the Oklahoman reports. CAP attorney Louis Bullock said the authority cannot legally change Medicaid eligibility requirements, which have been set by the state Legislature. He added, "The OHCA is imperiling people's health by these actions. These are people who will not seek the care they need just because these cuts have been announced." OHCA spokesperson Nico Gomez said that authority officials believe "they are operating within state law." Gomez said he would not comment further until he read the lawsuit, the Oklahoman reports (Daily Oklahoman, 10/1).