Oklahoma's Medicaid director to step down
Oklahoma' s Medicaid director suddenly announced her retirement Tuesday.
Becky Pasternik- Ikard, who is the state's Medicaid director and CEO of Oklahoma's Health Care Authority, will retire Oct. 1. PasternikIkardw as named t he Heath Care Authority's CEO in 2016, and her retire
ment comes shortly after Gov. Kevin Stitt,
through legislation passed this year, gained the ability to hire and fire the head of the agency.
AS tit ts pokes man did not immediately respond to questions about whether the governor asked PasternikIkard to step down.
In a news release, PasternikIkardp raised OH CA's employees. More than 400 people are employed at the agency that has a budget in excess of $6 billion.
“It has been my honor and privilege to work at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and in public service for the last 30 years,” she said. “This agency's excellence stems from the employees I have had the pleasure to work with for over 20 years, and I know their exemplary work will continue in the days and years to come as they continue to work to provide health care to Oklahomans, regardless of ability to pay.”
Stitt also praised PasternikIkard and said he will announce the agency's new director in the coming days.
“Becky Pasternik-Ikard has been an honorable public servant over the past 25 years. We appreciate her devotion and passion for leading Oklahoma's Medicaid program, and we look forward to seeing the success she will have in her next chapter,” Stitt said in a statement.
Pasternik-Ikard sent out a brief, three-sentence email to agency employees earlier in the day Tuesday announcing her plans to retire this fall.
Stitt gained the power to hire and fire the head of the Health Care Authority and four other state agencies during this year's legislative session. The other four agencies he now has additional oversight of are the Department of Transportation, the Department of Corrections, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Of those agencies, former Department of Corrections Director Joe Allbaugh abruptly resigned in June at a Board of Corrections meeting. Stitt's office is still seeking a replacement.
St it t' s Secretary of Transportation, Tim Gatz, has remained on as executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Stitt reappointed Steve Buck, who al so serves as the governor's secretary for human services and early childhood development, to lead the Office of Juvenile Affairs.
The governor has not announced whether he plans to retain Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Terri White.
The Health Care Authority is responsible for administering the state's Medicaid program and Insure Oklahoma, which was created to help small businesses in the state offer health insurance to their employees. More than 800,000 Oklahomans are enrolled in the two programs combined.