Oklahoma Court Asked to Halt State Plan to Privatize Medicaid

The Oklahoma Supreme Court should block a state effort to move forward with Medicaid managed care contracts, several health groups, including the state’s medical association, said Thursday.

A lawsuit filed against the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the state’s Medicaid agency, is seeking an injunction to stop the state from executing plans to privatize the state’s Medicaid system.

The agency on Jan. 29 announced the selection of four health insurers to manage its Medicaid program: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Complete Health, Humana Healthy Horizons, and UnitedHealthcare.

“This has all occurred with no legislative input whatsoever from the Oklahoma ...