Muskogee Phoenix

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Gubernatorial
Sep
27 nominee favors
2018

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GOP hopeful Stitt wants every
federal funding dollar allowed
coming into state
By D.E. Smoot
dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com

Republican nominee Kevin Stitt

pitched his ideas about how Okla-
homa could become a top tier state
should voters elect him as the state’s
next governor.
Stitt, founder of Jenks-based
Gateway Mortgage Group, touted
his business experience and laid out
a case for why that is important for
the next occupant of the governor’s
office. Since sealing the GOP nom-
ination in August, Stitt said he has
collaborated with Republican leaders
at the state and federal level to de-
velop a strategy for the future.
The political newcomer, who will
face Democrat Drew Edmondson
and Libertarian Chris Powell in the
general election on Nov. 6, said it is
important to work with the state’s
congressional delegation. He em-
phasized the importance of federal
funds flowing into the state and said
collaborating with members of the
delegation and their staffers can ac-
commodate those efforts.
“I want every federal dollar I can
get into my state for my roads and
bridges and my health care,” Stitt
said to those who attended what
was billed as a meet and greet spon-
sored by the Greater Muskogee Area
Chamber of Commerce. “I want every
federal grant I can get — sometimes
I don’t want the handcuffs and the
mandates I think will harm our state

(See FUNDING, 5)

Proprietàdi OPS News Tracker e membri di Oklahoma Press Association.

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Muskogee Phoenix
Funding: Stitt rejects notion
state should expand Medicaid
Continued from Page 1
five years from now.”
While the GOP
nominee identified
health care as a service
for which he desires
federal funds, Stitt re-
jected the notion that
Oklahoma should seek
funding that could be
available by expand-
ing Medicaid. He said
he opposes “Medicaid
expansion the way it
sits right now because
it puts too many people
on our system.”
“We need to encour-
age people to get off
our system, not on it,”
Stitt said, citing figures
Post W d
Proprietàdi OPS News Tracker e membri di Oklahoma Press Association.
that seem to show the nursing homes already
number of Oklahomans lag behind the regional
covered by the state’s average, and “that is a
Medicaid program dou- problem.”
bled from 500,000 to 1 “I look at other
million during the past states, how are they
decade. “I think we doing it, and let’s go
have to get people off implement it in our
the system, able-bodied state — that is about
people — Kentucky has money, business and
rolled out work pro- delivering services,”
grams.” Stitt said, noting
Stitt said Medicaid drivers of health care
reimbursement rates costs include lack of
for hospitals and nurs- competition. “The only
ing homes in Oklahoma way we are going to
cannot be cut any more move forward and fix
than they already have. our social issues and
He said the reimburse- things like that is with
ment rate for Medicaid employment and jobs
patients in Oklahoma and working.”
Lif h l d
td