Oklahoma scraps plan to expand Medicaid on July 1st

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration is scrapping a plan to expand Medicaid on July 1st, citing a lack of funding. The state’s Medicaid Director Melody Anthony notified the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in a letter on Thursday that the state was withdrawing its proposal.

Stitt’s administration pushed for the expansion in March, but after the Legislature narrowly passed bills to fund it, Stitt vetoed them. In his veto message, the Governor predicted a dramatic increase in the number of new Medicaid recipients.

Stitt is still pursuing a block-grant-style Medicaid expansion that would take effect next year.