HB 1808, now law in Oklahoma, reforms health insurance prior authorization and step-therapy rules to improve patient access to medications. It requires insurers to grant exceptions to step-therapy protocols (where patients must try cheaper drugs first) if a medication is contraindicated, ineffective based on medical history, or causes harm - covering specific scenarios like prior adverse reactions or stability on a current treatment. The bill mandates insurers respond to urgent prior authorization requests within 24 hours and non-urgent requests within 2 business days, with requests deemed approved if deadlines are missed. It also ensures continuity of coverage for stable treatments when switching plans (90-day protection) and requires insurers to cover at least one readily available asthma controller medication per class without prior authorization.
SB 1135 allocates $100,000 from Oklahoma's General Revenue Fund to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to support its operations. The bill declares an emergency to allow immediate implementation upon approval. This legislation provides specific funding for the Authority's duties without altering existing health insurance or tax policies.
SB 1136 allocates $100,000 from Oklahoma's General Revenue Fund to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) for unspecified duties required by law. The bill directly affects the OHCA, which administers state health care programs, by providing dedicated funding for its operations. It requires the agency to use these specific funds for purposes outlined in existing law, though the bill does not detail the exact programs or services. The funding is effective immediately upon the bill's passage, declared an emergency for public health and safety reasons. This is a routine appropriations measure with no new policy requirements or beneficiary changes.
HB 2782 creates a "Rate Preservation Fund" within Oklahoma's Health Care Authority to prevent cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for healthcare providers when the state's federal Medicaid funding percentage decreases. The bill allows the Authority to use fund monies to maintain these rates and permits temporary transfers of up to one-third of the fund's balance to other Medicaid program accounts for cash flow needs - provided the funds are fully repaid to the preservation fund by year-end. This directly affects hospitals, clinics, and other Medicaid providers who rely on stable reimbursement rates. The law also declares an emergency to take immediate effect.
SB 1141 allocates $100,000 from unallocated state general revenue funds to Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for its existing statutory duties. The bill requires these specific funds to be used for mental health services without creating new programs or altering current service requirements. An emergency clause makes the law effective immediately upon passage, bypassing the typical governor's signature requirement. The bill became law on May 29, 2025, after being passed without gubernatorial action.
SB 146 expands mental wellness services provided by Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety to include retirees of public safety personnel (such as police and firefighters), in addition to current employees. It creates a dedicated revolving fund (Section 9102) to finance these services and strengthens privacy protections by prohibiting the sharing of individual mental health data without consent, while allowing aggregate data use for policy improvements (Section 9101). The bill also mandates that all Mental Wellness Division resources operate separately from other department divisions. These changes took effect November 1, 2025, after becoming law without the Governor's signature on May 29, 2025.
HB 2797 prohibits Oklahoma's Health Care Authority (OHCA) from using statistical methods like extrapolation to audit Medicaid home and community-based service claims, which could require providers to repay overpayments. It invalidates all past audits using these methods (January 2020-November 2025) and voids related repayment demands. The bill requires OHCA and the Department of Human Services to jointly develop new audit standards and provide training for providers by November 2027. It also mandates compliance with existing fraud reporting rules and updates audit responsibilities for Medicaid waiver programs.
HB 2793 allocates $8,000,000 from Oklahoma’s Progressing Rural Economic Prosperity Fund to establish an Emergency Medicine Revolving Fund, as created by prior legislation (HB 2784). This fund will support ongoing emergency medical services, directly affecting hospitals and emergency care providers across the state. The appropriation becomes effective July 1, 2025, and the bill declares an emergency to expedite implementation. The bill does not create new taxes or services but redirects existing state funds to this specific purpose.
HB 2784 creates the Emergency Medicine Revolving Fund to preserve Medicaid supplemental payments for specific hospitals. It directly affects Oklahoma hospitals with American College of Surgeons Level 1 trauma centers, particularly those owned, operated, or partnered with the Oklahoma State University Medical Trust or University Hospitals Trust (including facilities in Oklahoma City and Tulsa). The bill requires annual certification by the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority to ensure trauma centers meet standards for receiving these payments, while also clarifying agreements between medical authorities and healthcare providers. Key provisions include maintaining existing Medicaid funding streams for teaching hospitals, trauma centers, and affiliated medical school providers, and directing the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to develop plans to sustain these payments through federal waivers or state plan amendments.
HB 2777 allocates $20 million from Oklahoma's Opioid Lawsuit Settlement Fund to the state's Opioid Abatement Revolving Fund for opioid-related programs, and $1.25 million to local governments that did not sue opioid manufacturers. The bill directs these funds to be used for opioid abatement efforts, such as treatment and prevention services, without requiring new taxes. It becomes effective July 1, 2025, and was signed into law on May 29, 2025. The legislation uses existing settlement funds rather than creating new spending.
