Republican gubernatorial candidates call for Medicaid audit

May 23--Six Republicans vying to win the state primary election for Governor spoke at the GOP Primary Preview Monday night. The event was sponsored by the Edmond Republican Women's Club.

The fastest growing expenditure item for state government is Medicaid, said Jonathan Small, president of Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. Small asked the candidates if they support expanding Medicaid eligibility.

Twenty-five percent of Oklahomans are enrolled in Medicaid, said Lieutenant Gov. Todd Lamb, 46, of Oklahoma City.

"Last year in our state over 52 percent of all the births in Oklahoma were Medicaid births," Lamb said. "As Governor, I will sign an executive order not just to audit, but to investigate Medicaid fraud in Oklahoma."

Lamb said Republicans want to personify Jesus Christ by helping people in need, but fraud in the system diminishes the Medicaid assistance of those who need it. So Lamb called to reduce the state's costly Medicaid system by eliminating fraud.

Former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Gary Richardson, 77, of Tulsa did not offer his opinion for expanding Medicaid.

"I mean first we've got to audit to see where we are," Richardson said. "It's like a doctor has got to examine the body."

The state should not make decisions on Medicaid until there is certainty among the facts, Richardson said. He intends to reveal the viability of Medicaid if Oklahomans elect him Governor, Richardson said.

Former state Rep. Dan Fisher, 58, of El Reno said health care costs are driving up Medicaid costs. Government intervention to lower the costs of health care has resulted in failure, he said. Oklahomans need a safety net, but heath care is not a right, Fisher said.

"One of the things that we can do, just a simple thing, is to reduce our refundable rate to physicians for Medicaid patients," Fisher continued.

The national refundable rate average is 72 percent nationwide, Fisher said. The state would save $54 million a year by lowering the refundable rate to physicians to 80 percent, Fisher explained.

State Auditor Gary Jones, 63, of Cache, agreed that Medicaid needs to be audited. The biggest part of government growth is in social services and welfare, Jones said.

"Every other agency has been, but by $558 million since 2000," Jones continued. "That's not adjusted for inflation."

Jones said there must be absolute certainty that Medicaid recipients in Oklahoma are entitled to the benefit. A qualification system needs to be put in place to monitor Medicaid eligibility on an ongoing basis, he added.

"I love people, but you're right. Transparency has got to come out," said educator and rancher Blake Stephens, 57, of Tahlequah. "We've got to figure out where we're at. We all know there's a lot of problems we have in corruption."

Integrity is the road to recovery, Stephens said.

"Medicaid is one of the largest increases in our budget," said Tulsa businessman Kevin Stitt, 45. "We've gone from about 500,000 people on Medicaid in our state to close to 1 million. We've got to audit those rolls."

Stitt pointed out that Pennsylvania performed an audit that revealed 220,000 healthy adults who should not have qualified for Medicaid.

"We've got to do that in Oklahoma," Stitt said.

Oklahoma has one insurance provider dictating medical fees, Stitt said. Health care insurance sales needs to be opened beyond state lines to create a larger pool for competition, he said.

"The one provider we have is squeezing our rural hospitals," Stitt said. "I don't think we can continue to cut reimbursements or we're going to run out of providers. We need to get the able-bodied people off the system so we can actually provide for people who need to be on it."

The state primary election will be June 26 with a runoff, if needed, scheduled for Aug. 28, said Doug Sanderson, election board secretary. Registered voters will determine the winners at the Nov. 6 general election.

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