Category: Media

Report examines growing cost of Quality Jobs program

The Quality Jobs Program is one of the largest business subsidies in Oklahoma. Quality Jobs spending has grown steadily in recent years, reaching $82.3 million in fiscal year 2014 even as most other state programs saw budget cuts. A new… Read more [More...]

Courts issue contradictory rulings on Affordable Care Act (Tulsa World)

By Randy Krehbiel A key component of the Affordable Care Act utilized by 55,000 Oklahomans was thrown into question Tuesday when separate federal appeals courts came down on opposite sides of the issue. Oklahoma Republicans and opponents of the ACA… Read more [More...]

Statement: Lawsuit threatens health care for working Oklahomans

Oklahoma Policy Institute issued the following statement in response to a court ruling that threatens to strike down tax credits that reduce the cost of insurance on healthcare.gov: The D.C. Circuit Court ruling threatens to take away much-needed financial support… Read more [More...]

Without Medicaid expansion, many Oklahomans with mental health issues will go untreated, experts say (NewsOK)

By Jaclyn Cosgrove  A framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln hangs prominently near Joshua Kraft’s bedroom door. For Kraft, it’s a reminder of what he could be, what he wants to be.  Although historians don’t agree across the board on how… Read more [More...]

Health-Care Access, Medicaid Expansion Among Key Issues in Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race (RH Reality Check)

By Teddy Wilson On November 4, Oklahoma residents will make a choice for governor between incumbent Republican Gov. Mary Fallin and Democratic nominee Rep. Joe Dorman (Rush Springs). Fallin has focused her campaign on her record as governor, including her… Read more [More...]

Voting for our priorities (The Norman Transcript)

By Molly Roberts Ok, let me see if I’ve got this straight. When the federal government ended its program of providing $13-$16 million in surplus equipment each year to fire departments, our state and congressional leaders immediately began working on… Read more [More...]

Definition of a ‘public’ college continues to change in Oklahoma, nationally (The Oklahoman)

By The Oklahoman Editorial Board WHAT does it mean to be a “public” college? Once upon a time, it meant that states provided significant financial support, which kept a cap of sorts on tuition and fees paid by students and… Read more [More...]

Think Globally, Innovate Locally (Dissent Magazine)

By Amy Hanauer Denial and indifference are two of the main congressional responses to the inequality, economic stagnation, and climate change that threaten America. But progressives can take heart in the creative, often inspiring initiatives flourishing in patches across the… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma is winning its Medicaid standoff with the feds — for now (The Washington Post)

By Jason Millman Oklahoma is one of about two dozen states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid — and it’s tangled in a unique standoff of sorts with the Obama administration. Oklahoma and the federal agency overseeing Medicaid are still wrestling with… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Health Care Authority board leaders make tough choices over where to cut Medicaid services for some of the poorest residents (The Oklahoman)

By Jaclyn Cosgrove The word “difficult” was used throughout Thursday’s board meeting of the state’s Medicaid agency, as leaders discussed millions of dollars in cuts that had to be made to balance the agency’s budget for the coming fiscal year.… Read more [More...]