Audit of Oregon Health Authority finds “wasteful and incompetent spending”

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson has released the results of an audit of the Oregon Health Authority.

According to Sec. Richardson, the audit has finally publicly revealed the longstanding mismanagement of taxpayer funds. He points to numerous examples where OHA programs misspent tens of millions of dollars.

Richardson said the audit was difficult to complete. OHA’s previous leadership and administration were uncooperative and hesitant to reveal “wasteful and incompetent spending.”

“With such abysmal examples of OHA misfeasance and obfuscation, OHA faces tough questions about its credibility and its ability to appropriately spend the money it is provided,” The Secretary wrote.

On the bright side, the report revealed OHA overestimated the number of people it would need to serve, freeing up nearly $100 million for General Fund purposes.

Following the results of the Secretary of State’s audit, OHA acknowledged the agency can do better, pointing out changes they can make to improve their programs. “While OHA has successfully expanded health coverage to more than 400,000 Oregonians and saved taxpayers $1.3 billion in health care costs, the effort to meet these challenges (as well as respond to the Cover Oregon failure) has not allowed us to build a foundation of consistent operational rigor and accountability in our Medicaid operations,” wrote OHA’s chief financial officer Laura Robison.