Signed by Governor Mary Fallin

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with Senate amendments and pass a bill that requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to verify the eligibility of applicants.

Highlights:

• Requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to verify certain information of applicants seeking assistance under Medicaid, including, but not limited to (Sec. 1):

• Earned and unearned income;

• Employment status;

• Immigration status;

• Residency status;

• Enrollment status in other Oklahoma or out-of-state state public assistance programs;

• Financial resources;

• Incarceration status;

• Death records; and

• Potential identity fraud.

• Specifies that those applicants who are eligible under Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) and those with intellectual disabilities receiving Home and Community Based Medicaid waiver are excluded from providing the above verification information (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Authority to sign a memorandum of understanding with any department, agency, or division related to collecting the above information (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Authority to review the above information on a quarterly basis regarding the continued eligibility of those currently receiving assistance under Medicaid, with the additional consideration of lottery winnings (Sec. 2).

• Requires the Authority to contract with one or more independent vendors to provide the quarterly reports and to establish savings that exceed the contract’s total annual cost (Sec. 2).

• Authorizes the Authority to join any multistate cooperative for the purposes of identifying individuals who are also enrolled in public assistance programs outside of the state (Sec. 2).

• Requires the Authority to reevaluate any discrepancies or changes that could affect eligibility (Sec. 2).

• Requires that applicants complete an online, in-person, or over the phone identity authentication process consisting of financial and personal knowledge-based questions that take into account unbanked applicants (Sec. 3).

• Requires the Authority to submit information to the Medicaid fraud control unit of the Office of the Attorney General in the case of suspected Medicaid fraud (Sec. 4).

• Requires the Authority to publish an annual report regarding the impact of the act, including, but not limited to (Sec. 5):

• Number of cases reviewed;

• Number of cases closed;

• Number of fraud investigations; and

• Amount of savings and cost avoidance.

Full Bill Text