OKPOLICY.ORG
An overview of our work on Oklahoma health issues
Oklahoma’s health care system reflects the challenges of a rural, high-poverty state, and we rank among the unhealthiest states in the nation. OK Policy analyzes how federal and state health care policies affect all Oklahomans. We promote policies that will increase access to affordable health care, reduce the number of uninsured, and boost health outcomes.
See all of our health research here.
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Health Facts
Featured Articles and Reports
2026 KIDS COUNT: Oklahoma ranks 44th for child well-being
Oklahoma continues to rank among the bottom 10 states for overall child well-being in the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, 50-state report of recent data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how kids are faring nationwide. • KIDS COUNT Interactive Data Book • Oklahoma Data Profile Snapshot For the 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data More...
H.R. 1 could push Oklahoma’s health care system past its breaking point
Medicaid (aka SoonerCare) doesn’t just insure people — it sustains the hospitals, clinics, and health care providers that care for entire communities. In Oklahoma, billions of Medicaid dollars keep emergency rooms open, behavioral health beds available, and rural providers afloat. House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1), the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, threatens this foundation. By More...
H.R. 1’s hidden costs: What the federal megabill really means for Oklahoma
H.R. 1, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill, is a federal reconciliation law passed in 2025 that delivers large tax cuts to corporations and high-income households while reducing long-term federal revenues. Marketed as a plan for “tax relief,” the law instead delivers massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest Americans while reducing the More...
“Work requirements” won’t work for Oklahoma
Few policy ideas have proven as persistent — or misleading — as the notion that forcing people to work will lift them out of poverty. The Big Beautiful Bill, or House Resolution 1 (H.R. 1), revives that same flawed logic: the so-called “work requirements” in it are another misguided attempt to legislate personal responsibility. Framed More...
How the not-so-beautiful bill will push eligible Oklahomans off SoonerCare
Medicaid – known in Oklahoma as SoonerCare – is the health backbone for nearly a million Oklahomans: children, working parents, people with disabilities, and seniors. But under the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” also known as H.R. 1, that foundation is beginning to crack. The new law forces states to constantly re-verify Medicaid eligibility, burying families More...
Community-led crisis response is working, but Oklahoma needs a statewide solution (Commentary)
Oklahoma City's new Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program represents a meaningful step toward the justice reform envisioned by Oklahoma voters nearly a decade ago. But expanding similar services beyond metro areas requires sustained commitment and investment from the state. More...
