Recent Articles

Latest poverty, health insurance data show that Oklahoma still has work to do

New data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey released Sept. 15 show that Oklahoma’s poverty rate (15.6 percent) was the nation’s 8th highest, increasing slightly in 2021 when compared to 2019’s pre-pandemic levels (15.2 percent).  A closer look at… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma needs Medicaid expansion yesterday 

Oklahoma’s Medicaid expansion is long overdue, but focusing attention on a July 1 start date overlooks an important fact: there is nothing preventing Oklahoma from expanding Medicaid now, and Gov. Stitt should act to do so as soon as possible.  [More...]

Oklahoma’s safety requires statewide “stay-at-home” order

Gov. Stitt on Wednesday extended his executive order to close non-essential businesses to all 77 counties through April 30. However, that’s not enough. To slow the virus’s spread and give our health systems the resources to respond, Gov. Stitt should issue a statewide stay-at-home order.  [More...]

Governor should extend health care comment period as virtual ‘public hearings’ lack transparency, full representation

As Oklahomans are rightly turning their attention to our nation’s urgent health emergency, Gov. Stitt should withdraw his health care proposal, or at the very least, extend the comment period to allow as many Oklahomans to participate.  [More...]

COVID-19 crisis shows the need for health care now. Here’s three things lawmakers can do to protect Oklahomans’ health care. 

There are many things the state can do to address the issues, but here are three actions state policymakers must immediately take. [More...]

Census data confirms we must do more to help Oklahoma children and families

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...]

There are no good reasons not to expand Medicaid

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...]

SQ 802: Medicaid Expansion – Information and resources

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...]

End of Session Health Care Round-Up: We’ve seen worse, but still no expansion

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...]

What you need to know about coverage expansion

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...]