State Rep. Doug Cox of Grove, Okla., who in the last legislative session blocked passage of measure that would have required nursing homes to carry a minimum of $250,000 in liability insurance, says he’s selling his 25 percent interest in two nursing homes after being criticized for his ownership stake in the businesses.
Criticized for removing the insurance clause from a bill, Cox said at the time that 30 percent of the nursing homes in Oklahoma could not afford the insurance.
The Republican lawmaker is a doctor and owned one-fourth interest in a 29-bed nursing home in Fairland and a 60-bed home at Kingston.
“I didn’t like being accused of conflict of interest,” Cox said. “I want to stand up and fight for senior citizens who are in need of nursing home care.”
He said his removal of the clause from the bill last session was not a conflict of interest because the requirement would have impacted all nursing homes, not only his.
Other legislation last session, whose sponsors included Cox, paved the way for a new Oklahoma Health Care Authority program that allows consumers to find out online which nursing homes have the best ratings.
Under the program, nursing homes get more money from the state Medicaid program based on how they are rated.
Most of the state’s 265 nursing homes participate in the program.
An outside agency evaluated the nursing homes on factors related to quality of care, quality of life and consumer satisfaction.
On the Net: www.oknursinghomeratings.com
Topics Legislation Homeowners Oklahoma
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