Carly Putnam joined OK Policy in January 2014. She previously worked as an OK Policy intern. A Kansas City native, Carly graduated from the University of Tulsa in December 2013 with a BA in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. As a student, she was a participant in the National Education for Women (N.E.W.) Leadership Institute and interned with Planned Parenthood. She is a graduate of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Nonprofit Management Certification Program, the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council’s Partners in Policymaking program, and The Mine, a social entrepreneurship fellowship in Tulsa. She previously served as board president for United Campus Ministry at the University of Tulsa. At OK Policy, Carly supervises policy staff and conducts research focusing on health care and the safety net.
By: Carly Putnam
September 26, 2019 // Updated: September 26, 2019
New data from the Census Bureau shows that poverty in Oklahoma is still well above the national average. In 2018, nearly 1 in 6 Oklahomans (15.6 percent) lived below the poverty line, earning less than $25,100 for a family of… Read more [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
September 24, 2019 // Updated: December 2, 2019
It’s been over seven years since states first began expanding Medicaid to cover low-income working-age adults. To date, 37 states (including the District of Columbia) have opted to expand coverage, and not a single state having done so has since… Read more [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
July 19, 2019 // Updated: February 12, 2020
This page is a resource on the Oklahoma Medicaid expansion ballot initiative (SQ 802). It will be updated to reflect the most recent information available. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
June 6, 2019 // Updated: June 19, 2019
Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this year's legislative session from a health care perspective is that, refreshingly, this was the first in recent years that didn't include a full-scale attack on access to SoonerCare. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
May 14, 2019 // Updated: May 15, 2019
Although time is running out, legislators could still advance a bill this session – or they may punt to a summer working group, putting the issue on a collision course with a likely ballot initiative. Regardless, this is a complex issue that inevitably raises a lot of question. Some of the most popular ones, and their answers, are below [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
March 20, 2019 // Updated: May 2, 2019
It’s been a few years since coverage expansion has been seriously entertained by state leadership, and both the state and federal landscape has shifted significantly in the meantime. Here’s a refresher of who should be covered. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
February 28, 2019 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Before 2018, federal regulators had not allowed any state make Medicaid coverage contingent on meeting a work requirement. Most people on Medicaid who can work already do work, and those who don't work have good reasons for not working. However, reversing decades of precedent, the Trump administration is encouraging states to submit proposals to cut coverage for members who don't meet a work reporting requirement. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
February 14, 2019 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In previous years, health care legislation has often come with a sense of existential crisis, as budget cuts and efforts to take away coverage have loomed large. But this year, with a new administration and a healthier budget, lawmakers have a chance to reverse course and offer more readily accessible quality health care in Oklahoma. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
February 11, 2019 // Updated: May 2, 2019
For many low-income Oklahomans, having a place to call home isn’t something you can take for granted. Many families struggle with high rent, frequent evictions, unstable family environments, and more. Now, the state Medicaid agency, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), has proposed a new policy to terminate coverage for families who move and don’t update their address quickly enough in agency records. [More...]
By: Carly Putnam
November 29, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
All children should be able to see a doctor or fill a prescription when they need to. After all, access to quality health care in childhood makes it more likely that a person will succeed and thrive throughout their life.… Read more [More...]
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@CarlyPutnam
New data from the Census Bureau shows that poverty in Oklahoma is still well above the national average. In 2018, nearly 1 in 6 Oklahomans (15.6 percent) lived below the poverty line, earning less than $25,100 for a family of… Read more [More...]
It’s been over seven years since states first began expanding Medicaid to cover low-income working-age adults. To date, 37 states (including the District of Columbia) have opted to expand coverage, and not a single state having done so has since… Read more [More...]
This page is a resource on the Oklahoma Medicaid expansion ballot initiative (SQ 802). It will be updated to reflect the most recent information available. [More...]
Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this year's legislative session from a health care perspective is that, refreshingly, this was the first in recent years that didn't include a full-scale attack on access to SoonerCare. [More...]
Although time is running out, legislators could still advance a bill this session – or they may punt to a summer working group, putting the issue on a collision course with a likely ballot initiative. Regardless, this is a complex issue that inevitably raises a lot of question. Some of the most popular ones, and their answers, are below [More...]
It’s been a few years since coverage expansion has been seriously entertained by state leadership, and both the state and federal landscape has shifted significantly in the meantime. Here’s a refresher of who should be covered. [More...]
Before 2018, federal regulators had not allowed any state make Medicaid coverage contingent on meeting a work requirement. Most people on Medicaid who can work already do work, and those who don't work have good reasons for not working. However, reversing decades of precedent, the Trump administration is encouraging states to submit proposals to cut coverage for members who don't meet a work reporting requirement. [More...]
In previous years, health care legislation has often come with a sense of existential crisis, as budget cuts and efforts to take away coverage have loomed large. But this year, with a new administration and a healthier budget, lawmakers have a chance to reverse course and offer more readily accessible quality health care in Oklahoma. [More...]
For many low-income Oklahomans, having a place to call home isn’t something you can take for granted. Many families struggle with high rent, frequent evictions, unstable family environments, and more. Now, the state Medicaid agency, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), has proposed a new policy to terminate coverage for families who move and don’t update their address quickly enough in agency records. [More...]
All children should be able to see a doctor or fill a prescription when they need to. After all, access to quality health care in childhood makes it more likely that a person will succeed and thrive throughout their life.… Read more [More...]