CMS Rejects Oklahoma Medicaid Waiver

CMS has denied a waiver extension for the Insure Oklahoma plan, which helps insure 12,000 workers at 4,650 small businesses across the state through premium subsidies that would conflict with the federal health overhaul’s health insurance exchanges, according to a report by The Oklahoman.

Insure Oklahoma provides Medicaid and additional financial assistance payments matched by small businesses and employees to buy private health insurance. Without the waiver, the program will expire at the end of this year.

“The new law will mean that an extension of the Insure Oklahoma program without any changes is not possible,” wrote Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Director Cindy Mann in her rejection letter addressed to Oklahoma’s healthcare authority. In the letter, she suggested the state consider extending the Insure Oklahoma model to include individual and small business health plans via the exchanges.

Oklahoma, which rejected Medicaid expansion and defaulted to a federally run exchange, is crafting a Republican-led bill that would privatize Medicaid and incorporate cost-savings and financial rewards to beneficiaries for health savings and healthy behavior, according to the report.

CMS Rejects Oklahoma Medicaid Waiver

More Articles on Medicaid:

Next Up in Financial Management

'Real consequences for access to care': CMS' $775B plan to cut Medicaid funding alarms hospitals

The hospitals, health systems cutting jobs in 2026

CMS to cap state Medicaid payments to save $775B: 7 things to know

More Articles on Medicaid:

Next Up in Financial Management

Join the 500,000+ healthcare executives who start their day with Becker’s