Insurance managed care would disrupt Oklahomans’ access to medical services, outsource patient care

Meeting Oklahoma patients where they are is an important part of health care. When it comes to serving Oklahomans in rural counties, having a presence in that community is vital. Providers get to know their patients, who in turn come to trust the medical professionals guiding their care. Insurance managed care, a $2 billion scheme favoring big out-of-state companies, does not prioritize our patients or communities.

When our state’s Medicaid expansion helped more than 200,000 Oklahomans of all ages gain access to services, that funding also allowed clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and ancillary services to keep their doors open. The change brought jobs to communities large and small. Not only did medical professionals have the critical underwriting necessary to provide services, but their presence also helped bring other jobs in support roles, boosted the economy and brought taxpayer dollars back for local benefit.

As a durable medical equipment provider in rural Oklahoma, I am proud to meet patients in places like Ada, Ardmore, Durant and McAlester. Getting essential equipment delivered to them or being able to visit a local provider, especially during a difficult time, can streamline their needs. Patients of all ages need medical equipment at home and we are able to reach them because of the ability to provide service in the towns we too call home.

Under insurance managed care, insurance conglomerates like Humana and Centene would oversee the state’s Medicaid system, which would only complicate patients’ ability to get what they need. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled against the proposal, but circumventing the ruling, however, seems to still be on the table.

When the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) board members brought up related measures at a meeting in September, its two physician members objected, citing further discussion as unnecessary in light of the court decision. They were swiftly removed from the board of executives. Currently, not a single physician oversees the governance of Oklahoma’s Medicaid program.

Adding bureaucratic administrators to Medicaid is unnecessary and insurance managed care would do just that. Costs would far outweigh any potential benefit, waste taxpayer dollars and cut jobs.

Why would Oklahoma spend billions of dollars to manage a system already working well?

Join medical professionals and concerned citizens in opposing insurance managed care. Find out more at oklacares.org.

Larry Dalton is president of the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association and chief operating officer of Advanced Care Medical Equipment.