What’s unaffordable?

In her 2013 State of the State address, Governor Mary Fallin reiterated her opposition to accepting federal dollars to provide coverage to uninsured Oklahomans through Medicaid, as provided under the Affordable Care Act. In states that extend Medicaid, the federal… Read more [More...]

Wither Insure Oklahoma?

In announcing that Oklahoma would not take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults, Governor Mary Fallin stated she was committed to developing an “Oklahoma Plan to reduce the… Read more [More...]

Wrong Number: Medicaid cost estimates are exaggerated and misleading

In announcing her decision not to participate in the expansion of Medicaid for low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act, Governor Mary Fallin asserted: Expanding Medicaid as written in the [Affordable Care Act] would cost the state of Oklahoma as… Read more [More...]

Guest Blog (Dr. John Schumann): 'Help Wanted' for Medicaid expansion

John Henning Schumann is a writer and doctor in Tulsa. He runs the Internal Medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. He created the blog GlassHospital.com and is on Twitter @GlassHospital. Despite its complexities and its… Read more [More...]

Medicaid 101: The SoonerCare Safety Net

Our health care system is experiencing an unprecedented period of upheaval. Decades of rising costs, an ever-increasing share of citizens without insurance, and an aging baby boom generation are putting immense pressure on payers, providers, and patients alike.  A new… Read more [More...]

State cost of health care reform likely to be modest and could yield net savings

Under the new national health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), one major strategy for providing health insurance coverage to the 50 million Americans who are currently uninsured is an expansion of eligibility in the Medicaid… Read more [More...]

Making more bricks with less straw: Agency heads share thoughts on operating in hard times

At last week’s Fall Legislative Forum organized by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, a panel of state agency directors discussed some of the accomplishments and continuing challenges facing Oklahoma government. Taking part in the panel were leaders from the… Read more [More...]

Short-changed on a health exchange

In the new national health care law (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA), exchanges are state-level competitive marketplaces for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance. After winning a $54 million Early Innovator grant earlier this year, Oklahoma was poised… Read more [More...]

Gov. Fallin to Insurance Underwriters: Like it or not, health reform is the law of the land

The Tulsa Association of Health Underwriters hosted Governor Mary Fallin and Insurance Commissioner John Doak at a forum on how health care reform would affect the insurance industry.  Addressing a packed house at the Tulsa Country Club, Governor Fallin repeated… Read more [More...]

Health Care Reform (6): Implementing Insurance 'Exchanges'

This is the sixth in an ongoing series of posts examining the Affordable Care Act, including previous posts on the Temporary High Risk Pool and tax credits for small businesses.  You can also visit the health care reform page on… Read more [More...]