Senate Medicaid Committee favors reporting Scott Partika to Rules and Reference after questioning on eligibility and fraud controls

Scott Partika, the governor’s appointee to serve as director of the Department of Medicaid, told the Senate Medicaid Committee that he is seeking confirmation and intends to focus on fiscal prudence and program integrity during his remaining year in the administration.

“My name is Scott Partika,” he said in opening remarks, tracing his career from a page in the senate to staff roles in legislative offices and work in managed care before joining the DeWine administration as a health policy adviser.

Partika highlighted two policy areas that shaped his approach: targeted rate increases intended to raise wages for direct-care workers after a statewide workforce report, and a 2018 joint oversight review of pharmacy benefit managers that led to legislative direction in 2019 toward a single pharmacy benefit manager. He said the pharmacy changes have yielded lower…