According to the latest U.S. Census figures, 565,000 Oklahomans, or 15.8 percent of the total population, were without health insurance in 2007-2008. The uninsured rate is just under 10 percent for children but over 20 percent for adults ages 18-64.…
Read more [More...]
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve got opinions and points of view on some of the major policy issues confronting Oklahoma. What impact is the economic downturn and fiscal crisis having on the organizations you’re involved in and…
Read more [More...]
As the economic downturn continues to take its toll in Oklahoma and across the nation, how financially prepared are families to deal with extended periods of unemployment and underemployment. Newly-released data (PDF) from CFED that focuses on “asset poverty” confirms…
Read more [More...]
Just when it looked as if the the extended negotiations over how to address FY ’10 budget shortfalls were finally resolved, a new wrinkle emerged this week. As a means to protest the continued failure to find supplemental funds for…
Read more [More...]
We are following with keen interest legislation introduced this session by Senator Bill Brown that would allow for the issuing of health insurance coverage across state lines. SB 2046, which passed the Senate Retirement and Insurance committee and awaits consideration…
Read more [More...]
By:
David Blatt
February 26, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
House Speaker Chris Benge this week was joined by Republican Senator Patrick Anderson and Democratic Senator John Sparks in unveiling a proposal to create a new budgetary reserve fund to help cushion the state from a repeat of the extreme…
Read more [More...]
By:
David Blatt
February 25, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
Our friends at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) have put out a new paper addressing the acute fiscal crisis facing states across the nation. As shortfalls reach a level where they are seriously compromising the ability of…
Read more [More...]
By:
David Blatt
February 24, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
I posted an entry this morning that compared the mid-year budget cuts being absorbed by each of the ten largest state agencies. Unfortunately, the post – which I’ve now deleted – included outdated information regarding funding for the Departments of…
Read more [More...]
By:
David Blatt
February 22, 2010 // Updated: May 1, 2019
For the second time in less than a month, the Governor and legislative leaders have announced an agreement on how to address the huge shortfalls in this year’s budget caused by declining revenue collections. This second agreement is not much…
Read more [More...]
By:
David Blatt
February 18, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
There is definitely something in the air. Over the past several weeks, there has been a heavy flurry of attention paid to the state’s system of tax expenditures, the array of over 450 exemptions, credits, deductions and the like that…
Read more [More...]
OKPOLICY.ORG
