When it comes to areas of public policy, health care might be the most complicated. Examining Oklahoma’s health care system requires a deep dive into everything from federal programs to state reimbursement rates.
In this week’s episode of How We Got Here, the podcast team welcomes a state health care expert to the table for a deep dive into primarily one aspect of Oklahoma’s health care landscape — Medicaid.
Nico Gomez is the president and CEO of Care Providers Oklahoma, a trade association that represents nursing homes and long-term-care providers. FKG Consulting represents Care Providers of Oklahoma. Prior to assuming his current position, Gomez spent the better part of two decades at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the state agency that manages its Medicaid program.
Called SoonerCare in Oklahoma, Medicaid is a federal-state partnership entitlement program that provides health insurance for segments of low-income state residents: children, pregnant women, seniors, the disabled and parents who earn less than 37 percent of the federal poverty level.
In this episode, Gomez answers questions about the current state of Oklahoma health care as well as the limitations of Oklahoma’s Medicaid program. The podcast team dives into federal-state matching rates, the political decisions facing Oklahoma’s Legislature and the effects of all this on the health care system.
Catch episode 4 of How We Got Here by listening to the embedded audio file below or subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Google Play and Pocket Casts.
Catch past episodes of How We Got Here
Episode 3: Let’s get gubernatorial
Episode 2: Summing up Step Up
Episode 1: Down to Brass Tax
(Editor’s note: How We Got Here is produced in partnership between NonDoc and FKG Consulting, a lobbying and public policy firm based in Oklahoma City. In each episode, all participants speak freely on the topic at hand. To view a list of FKG’s clients — including the Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy — go here.)
