× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

OKLAHOMA CITY — More than 110,000 Oklahomans would lose Medicaid coverage under legislation that advanced Wednesday in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, said he offered House Bill 2665 “with a heavy heart” in an attempt to give the state more flexibility in dealing with a general revenue drop expected to exceed $1 billion.

The bill directs the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which administers the state’s Medicaid program, to seek a federal waiver to allow it to exclude able-bodied adults younger than 65 from Medicaid benefits.

Cox said the waiver is far from certain.

Cox said 111,000 Oklahoma residents, all of whom make less than $9,500 a year and have at least one dependent child, would be affected by his proposal. He said the measure would save the OHCA $111 million while costing the state $222 million in federal matching funds.

A physician and the chairman of the Appropriations and Budget subcommittee on Health, Cox said his bill is the stark realization of Oklahoma’s budget problems.

“I wish I could vote ‘no’ on this,” Cox said during an exchange with Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City. “I can’t. We’re talking about a $1.3 billion shortfall.