News

Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Health Care Authority announces Gary Beebe as the new administrator of the Employee Group Insurance Division (EGID). With more than three decades of dedicated service to EGID and the State of Oklahoma, Beebe brings a wealth of experience, institutional knowledge and a deep commitment to serving Oklahoma’s citizens and public servants.

Beebe has been a member of the EGID team for 34 years, beginning his career as a temporary employee in the mailroom while attending the University of Central Oklahoma. Over the years, he has held various finance-related roles, including more than 20 years as EGID Controller. Since 2020, he served as Director of Fiscal and Administrative Services and, most recently, as the interim EGID administrator.

Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has distributed more than $11.5 million to qualifying providers under the new SoonerSelect Provider Incentive Directed Payment Program. This program is designed to incentivize health care providers to offer premium preventive and primary care services to SoonerSelect members.

On October 7, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States asked the U.S. solicitor general to file a brief in the case Mulready v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, where the state of Oklahoma appealed a Tenth Circuit decision invalidating a law regulating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). In an environment where less than 5 percent of appeals are granted certiorari, the invitation by the Supreme Court for the federal government to file a brief signals that the Court is seriously contemplating hearing this case in the upcoming term.

Oklahoma’s appeal stems from an August 2023 decision in which the Tenth Circuit found that four specific provisions of a state law regulating PBMs—the Oklahoma Patient’s Right to Pharmacy Choice Act—were preempted by ERISA and Medicare:

Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Health Care Authority, in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, will represent the state in the Medicaid and Corrections Policy Academy, an opportunity funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a division of the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs. This initiative brings Oklahoma and five other states together to develop a shared vision for improving reentry services.

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority Board (OHCA) approved a nearly $29 million increase in state Medicaid funding for regular nursing facilities during its Monday meeting. That appropriation will attract additional federal dollars to improve long-term care provider rates.

Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), in conjunction with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), received a $2.5 million, three-year grant to provide technical assistance to enhance the school-based services (SBS) infrastructure in Oklahoma. This investment will allow more students and their families to connect with local and state health care resources.

More than 600,000 Oklahomans on Medicaid are now seeing their care coordinated by private insurance companies. Proponents say the rollout has been going well, but some providers and the people they serve are expecting challenges.

Sr. Program Consultant-Total Rewards(HR)-Hybrid-Tulsa - Click here to learn more: https://careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/client_onegas/external/gateway/viewFromLink.html?jobPostId=10125&localeCode=en-us

Position Description: You will have at least 6+ years of experience in benefits and have experience working with complex plan documents/contracts. You will work on specialist projects that are aligned to benefits, and partner to create internal communications for anything related to Total Rewards. The ideal candidate enjoys working with teams of people, process improvement, and supporting a positive employee experience. Some key skills needed are the ability to influence others, clearly communicate, project manage, and work well with all levels. You will report to the Manager of Total Rewards Experience and be able to work some days in the office and some days remotely.

Administers and/or supports company benefit plans including group health, group life, disability, retirement, retiree health and/or other related employee plans

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued subregulatory guidance addressing the procedures that covered entities (CEs) and business associates (BAs) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) should implement to respond to cybersecurity incidents involving electronic protected health information (ePHI). In issuing this guidance, HHS cited the rising number of cybersecurity incidents during 2022.