Mulready Minutes

Ep. 25: 2024 Medicare and the Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment

These two podcast topics should provide valuable information for listeners looking to make informed decisions during Medicare Open Enrollment and Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment for 2024.

Part One – Guest Sung Kang with HealthMarkets in Oklahoma City talks about Open Enrollment and the Healthcare Marketplace in Oklahoma.

Sung Kang, born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes from a family deeply rooted in martial arts. His family runs Kang's TaeKwon-Do, one of the country's oldest martial arts schools, celebrating its 50th year.

Sung Kang is no stranger to success. He's a former Oklahoma State and US National Champion and even won a Silver Medal at the 1989 US Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City. After training with elite athletes at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, he returned to Tulsa and opened his TaeKwon-Do School. There, he inspired countless students to be their best, nurturing their minds, bodies, and spirits.

Today, Sung Kang is an Executive Sales Leader at HealthMarkets in Oklahoma City, where he leads a team of 60 agents at OKC HealthMarkets Group. He's also a licensed insurance agent, specializing in helping retirees transition to Medicare for a secure healthcare future.

Part Two – Guest Ray Walker, Divisional Director for MAP at OID talks about Medicare Open Enrollment

Ray Walker is the Divisional Director for the Medicare Assistance Program at the Oklahoma Insurance Department. With over two decades of experience in the healthcare and insurance industry, Mr. Walker is a seasoned expert in his field.

Mr. Walker's commitment to enhancing healthcare access and understanding is exemplified by his role on the Advisory Committee to the State Council on Aging and his recent completion of his second term on the SHIP Steering Committee, where he served as the vice-chair. He has also been an integral part of the Leadership Council for the MIPPA Grant Program. Ray Walker is dedicated to helping individuals navigate the intricacies of Medicare and is a valuable resource for both his local community and the broader healthcare landscape.

Ep 24: Todd Russ, State Treasurer of Oklahoma

Episode 24: In this episode, Commissioner Mulready visits with Todd Russ, the 20^th State Treasurer of Oklahoma.  They delve into his background, achievements, and the ways in which he supports and champions the interests of Oklahoma

Todd Russ – With deep roots in Western Oklahoma, Todd’s journey began with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. His educational background includes specialized training in Asset/Liability Management and Interest Rate Risk Analysis from the University of Colorado Graduate School of Banking. Todd’s career spans over 30 years in the banking sector but his service to the community doesn’t end there. He represented District 55 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for six terms (2010-2022), notably serving as Chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Bonus Episode: Oklahoma Captive Insurance Landscape

In this podcast episode, Commissioner Mulready engages in a brief discussion with Steve Kinion, the Director of Captive Insurance at OID. Tune in as Steve provides an insightful overview of the present captive insurance landscape in the state of Oklahoma. The Commissioner's captive initiative has reported a remarkable 25% increase in the number of captive insurers during the period spanning from January 1 to September 30, 2023.

Steve Kinion – Kinion was Delaware’s captive regulator for more than 13 years before joining the Oklahoma Insurance Department. He originally joined OID in 1995 as counsel to the Oklahoma state board for property and casualty rates and assistant general counsel. Captive Review magazine has named him multiple times to its global “Power 50” listing the 50 most influential figures in the global captive insurance industry. He holds the Associate in Captive Insurance (ACI) designation which is the highest professional designation for captive insurance.

Ep 22: The Relaunch of the Oklahoma Captive Insurance Association

Episode 22: In this episode Commissioner Mulready visits with Heather McClure, General Counsel & Chief Risk Officer at Helio Risk. Discussion includes the relaunched Oklahoma Captive Association along with how the Captive Insurance market is growing.

Heather McClure General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer Heather McClure, JD, LLM, has decades of experience managing client risk inside law firms and organizations, overseeing risk financing, risk management, insurance procurement, captive operations, and claims and litigation.

Ep 23: OID’s Consumer Assistance/Claims Division

In this episode, Commissioner Mulready speaks with Donna Dorr, the Director of Consumer Assistance/Claims, and Jason Johnston, the Senior Claims Processor/Reviewer. The discussion delves into the role and functions of the Consumer Assistance/Claims Division, shedding light on their vital support for Oklahoma's consumers dealing with insurance-related concerns. This division’s role includes addressing insurance inquiries, probing into grievances against insurance companies, and facilitating the resolution of disputes with insurance providers.

Bonus Episode: 2023 OID Legislative Update

In this episode Commissioner Mulready visits with, Ashley Scott, Government & Community Affairs Director/Director of PBM Compliance and Enforcement at the Oklahoma Insurance Department. They will examine statutes and rules that were passed during the 2023 legislative session related to the OID.

Ms. Scott joined OID in June of 2020 as the Government and Community Affairs Director. She started her career working over 10 years with the House of Representatives and then moved to the Oklahoma State Department of Health as their legislative liaison before joining OID.

Ep 21: OID and ODEMHS - Coming together before, during and after the storm

In this episode Commissioner Mulready visits with Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (ODEMHS) Director Mark Gower. Discussion includes how OID and ODEMHS help Oklahomans before, during and after a disaster. 

Mark Gower was named as Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (ODEMHS) Director in 2019 by Governor Kevin Stitt.  He served as the Chief Information Security Officer and CyberCommand Director for the State of Oklahoma.  With over 20-years of experience in Information Security and Technology, Gower has a broad and varied knowledge base to draw upon.

Bonus Episode: Why Oklahoma is a leading voice for Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) regulation

Bonus Episode – In this bonus episode, Commissioner Mulready gives a recap of his testimony in front of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee Hearing entitled  “Why Health Care is Unaffordable: Anticompetitive and Consolidated Markets.” Last week, Commissioner Mulready went to the nation’s capitol to share Oklahoma’s story on developing one of the strongest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) compliance programs in the country. Since 2021, Oklahoma has built a robust regulatory program that has issued over $3.5 million in fines and returned over $700,000 to local independent pharmacies through administrative action and settlement agreements.

Ep 20: Getting Ready to Unwind Medicaid’s Continuous Coverage Requirement

Episode 20 – In this episode Commissioner Mulready visits with Cabinet Secretary Kevin Corbett. Discussion includes how Oklahoma is Getting Ready to Unwind Medicaid’s Continuous Coverage Requirement affecting 300,000 Oklahomans. When you get notice from SoonerCare that you or family members are no longer eligible for coverage, you have other ways to obtain health coverage in Oklahoma.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Mental Health, Kevin Corbett was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), Oklahoma’s Medicaid agency in 2019.  Most recently, Corbett was appointed to serve as the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Mental Health in 2020.

Ep 19: Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee, House Insurance Committee

Episode 19 – As the 2023 legislative session fast approaches, Commissioner Mulready speaks with Senator John Michael Montgomery (Chair of Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee) and Ashley Scott, Government and Community Affairs Director with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Topics include what the Senate and House Insurance Committee is tasked to do and what’s coming for the 59th Legislature regarding Insurance legislation.

Senator John Michael Montgomery was born and raised in Lawton and graduated from Eisenhower High School. He began college at Cameron University before transferring to the University of Oklahoma and completed a B.A. in International Studies. Montgomery finished work at OU for his M.A. in Global Affairs in summer 2019. Montgomery works in the financial services industry and is the founder of his own investment advisory firm, Invictus Investment Advisors, established in 2019.

Prior to election to the Senate in 2018, Montgomery served four years in the House beginning in 2014. Montgomery currently serves in the Senate as the Chair for the Retirement and Insurance Committee and the Vice Chair for the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.