OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin is warning state agency heads to look for ways to save money amid more than $60 million in mandatory spending increases on health care and reports of lackluster collections to the state's general revenue fund.
Fallin said Monday the state will need to make up $60 million in federal matching funds next year for Oklahoma's Medicaid program as a result of an increase in the state's per-capita income.
She says additional funding also will be needed to pay for an expected increased enrollment of Medicaid-eligible Oklahomans and for improvements to child-welfare programs at the Department of Human Services.
A report on November collections to the state's general revenue fund won't be released until next week, but early collections trail both the official estimate and prior year collections.