We are at a truly critical time for Oklahoma. The state faces its most severe budget crisis of the past quarter century, perhaps the most severe in its history. As revenues have fallen, successive rounds of budget cuts have created hardships for those whose health, security and livelihood depend on state-funded services. However, as bad as things have already gotten, we are only now approaching the eye of the full budget storm. In the absence of additional revenues, the state’s budget shortfall for the upcoming year is equivalent to cuts of an additional 11 to 12 percent across every agency of state government beyond what has already been cut this year.

In recent blog posts, we have laid out the potential toll that cuts of this magnitude could have on Oklahoma families, businesses and communities. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is considering the elimination of prescription drug coverage, diabetes supplies and kidney dialysis treatment for adult Medicaid recipients. The State Health Department warns of an inability to respond in timely fashion to man-made disease occurrences and natural disasters. The Department of Human Services confronts rate reductions that could push private sector providers of services to Oklahomans with developmental disabilities out of business. Similar stories are being told across the spectrum of state government of cuts that would undo progress made in recent years and set our state back years, if not decades. Read the rest of this entry »