Governor’s Statement on US House Bill requiring SoonerSelect Alternative

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 7, 2021) – Governor Kevin Stitt released the following statement today after the House Public Health Committee voted to pass a substituted version of Senate Bill 131, which was dropped in at the last minute and would require the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to implement a costly alternative to the SoonerSelect Medicaid plan:

“It is irresponsible to use hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to require a state agency to create a program that already exists and is successfully implemented in 40 other states.

“Oklahomans do not want to follow Joe Biden’s playbook and continue to grow a single-payer, government health care program that has led to Oklahoma ranking 49th in health outcomes.

“Oklahomans want and deserve better, which is why SoonerSelect is the right path forward to improve the health of Oklahomans.”