An astounding title
OMEPA Celebrates Recent State Legislative Win
Ongoing Efforts at Work
This is the third state bill OMEPA members have been successful in passing since becoming a state association:
- The HB 1407 sales tax exempts durable medical equipment from state sales tax in Oklahoma
- HB 2649 was the Oklahoma Durable Medical Equipment Licensing Act
- HB 1712, the Patient’s Right of Choice, serves patients who have access to care issues in the rural markets
Did You Know?
State associations act as a link between home medical equipment/durable medical equipment owners and state and national issues. Those interested in their state association can find a list at aahomecare.org/state-association-partners and vgm.com/services/government-relations/state-associations.
Association’s efforts to pass the Patient’s Right of Choice Act pay off
By Meg Herndon
Over the past couple of years, the Oklahoma Medical Equipment Providers Association (OMEPA) team worked to pass the Patient’s Right of Choice Act for the state.
Under State HB 1712, if a patient does not have an “in-network” durable medical equipment (DME) supplier in their area, they will be allowed to use an out-of-network supplier and still receive in-network benefits, allowing DME suppliers to adequately serve patients who have access to care issues in the rural markets.
Uphill Battle
OMEPA worked to pass this bill in 2023, but at the end of the session, their bill and 60-plus others were scrapped. In the off-season, the group worked with lobbyist Julia Jernigan Smith of Creative Capitol Strategies.
After support was found from the Insurance Commission and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the group started working on building upon the relationships they had made over the years with key legislators. In discussions with lawmakers, the group focused on the impact and lack of access “in-network” contracts were having on Oklahoma beneficiaries.
Their champions helped identify the key legislators OMEPA needed to build relationships with to help move State HB 1712 forward.
In April, the measure seemed well on its way to passage, receiving unanimous support in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and only three nays in the Oklahoma Senate. However, it was vetoed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. OMEPA’s board and key providers worked with the established champions in the legislature to allow for a “veto override vote” on the final day before the end of the legislative session.
