OKLAHOMA CITY — If Oklahoma continues to see a fiscal crisis at the Capitol, the state might not have enough money to support its Medicaid program, eliminating a program that provides health care to 1 million residents each year.
Nico Gomez, CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, said he doesn’t believe that the Medicaid program could end in the next two years, but past that, if state agencies continue to see deep budget cuts, the end of Oklahoma’s Medicaid program could be a reality.
“I’m not trying to set off a panic, but I can’t sit there and go a couple of years and then all of a sudden spring (the program ending) out,” Gomez said. “If we continue down this road, that’s going to be a reality we’re going to have to deal with.”
Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, known as SoonerCare, provides health care services to 800,000 low-income Oklahomans, including 523,000 children. Thousands of residents with disabilities and serious medical conditions depend on the program.
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