Tricia Brooks, Senior Fellow with the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, gave this presentation in Tulsa on June 18, 2010 as part of a forum titled, "Health Care Reform 2010: Transitioning Health Care for Oklahoma's Children and Families." You can  download the presentation as a PDF file or view it online by clicking through below. For more information on health care reform from CCF, click here.

Two bills under consideration by the 2009 Legislature would allow health insurance companies to offer insurance policies to individuals under the age of 40 that do not cover health services that must otherwise be provided under state law. These mandated benefits primarily cover services for women, children and persons with chronic and serious illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer. OK Policy has expressed concern that these proposals risk leaving people without coverage for vital health services and could raise insurance costs for the most vulnerable segments of the population.

The availability and cost of health insurance rank among the most worrisome issues facing OKlahoma families and among the most pressing challenges confronting Oklahoma policymakers. This fall, the Oklahoma Health Care Task Force has been meeting to examine the crisis of the uninsured in Oklahoma and develop an approach to expand coverage. OK Policy participated as a member of the task force advisory committee and submitted recommendations for expanding access to affordable health insurance.