Stitt warned the only two options to pay for the expansion would be to raise taxes or cut government services.
“The Legislature will have a really tough job if 802 passes,” he said.
But some lawmakers are more optimistic about funding options.
Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, pointed to legislation passed this year to increase a hospital fee to cover a majority of the expansion. Stitt vetoed the bill, saying it fell short of his expectations.
“For two years now, we’ve had a proposal for how you fund Medicaid expansion that did not include tax increases, did not include cuts to education, all of those things that we are now being told will have to happen,” McCortney said. “So I’m still very hopeful that we can go back to the funding plan that we’ve had all along, and that could be the cornerstone to how we do this without damaging the rest of the state’s budget or increasing taxes.”
Legislators would likely need the support of the Oklahoma Hospital Association to increase the Supplemental Hospital Offset Payment Program.
The association supported SQ 802 and said it’s eager to work with legislators on funding Medicaid expansion.
“We look forward to working with lawmakers on budget options to fund expansion without raising taxes,” the group said. “Ultimately, the state will benefit from savings associated with accessing enhanced federal matching funds.”