Failure To Approve Oklahoma Waiver Undermines Trust Between HHS And States

By failing to follow through on repeated assurances to Oklahoma that its 1332 reinsurance waiver would be approved on an expedited timeline, the federal government dealt a devastating blow to Oklahoma consumers and magnified suspicions that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is more interested in undermining the Affordable Care Act than partnering with the states to stabilize the individual market for the nearly 20 million Americans who depend on that market for their health security. Oklahoma’s Governor Lambasts The Federal Government For Breaking A Promise To His State In a blistering letter to now former HHS Secretary Tom Price and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Terry Cline, withdrew Oklahoma’s requested waiver and said the federal government had reneged on a promise at the last minute: “As late as last Friday, September 22, an agreed upon approval package had been circulated with the state expectation, and federal department promise, that waiver approval would be forthcoming on Monday, September 25.” (emphasis added) The letter noted that “waiver approval would have helped more than 130,000 Oklahomans’ who today are struggling with dramatic price increases, provided more than a 30 percent premium reduction and allowed nearly 30,000 individuals to buy insurance.” Ironically, the federal government will pick up the cost of unnecessary premium increases for low-income Oklahomans who qu...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage 1332 waivers Oklahoma reinsurance Source Type: blogs