Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act: Resources and Information

The Supreme Court upheld almost all of the reforms in the new national health care law – the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – but it struck down the federal government’s authority to enforce Medicaid expansion in the states.  Oklahoma now has the chance to expand coverage for low-income uninsured adults. Though Governor Fallin has stated that she will not pursue joining the Medicaid expansion, many continue to advocate for taking this opportunity to extend health care access to about 150,000 uninsured Oklahomans. See the below links for more information and ways to become involved. For information specific to Health Insurance Exchanges, click here. For resources and information on other issues related to health care reform, please click here.

Advocacy

• Quotes in favor of Medicaid expansion

Issue Briefs, Fact Sheets, and Presentations

• Presentation: Transforming Health Care: A Proposal for Oklahoma’s Future (Oklahoma Hospital Association, November 2014)
• Issue Brief: Medicaid Expansion’s Track Record Shows It’s a Good Deal for Oklahoma (October 2014)
• Fact Sheet: Expand Health Coverage (Together Oklahoma) 
• Fact Sheet: Accepting Federal Health Care Funds is Good for Business
• Presentation: Affordable Care Act in Oklahoma (June 2013)
• Presentation: Affordable Care Act 101: What are the portions of the ACA and how does it affect the states? (NBA Health Law Presentation, May 2013)
• Issue Brief: Help is at Hand: New Health Insurance Tax Credits in Oklahoma (Families USA, April 2013)
• Presentation: Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in Oklahoma (National Association of Social Workers, March 2013)
• Fact Sheet: Extending Medicaid Would Help Oklahoma Veterans
• Issue Brief, Fact Sheet: Medicaid Proves Its Worth in Oklahoma
• Fact Sheet: How Much Would Extending Medicaid Cost?
• Fact Sheet: Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act
• Infographic: The coverage crater
• Resources: Oklahoma Hospital Association materials on Medicaid expansion (Fact sheets; news coverage)
• Presentation: Medicaid Expansion and the Affordable Care Act (August 2012)
• Issue Brief: Health Care Reform and the State Budget: Savings Likely to Fully or Partly Offset Modest New Costs (Oct 2011)
• Fact Sheet: Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Statistics on Medicaid Expansion

Reports

• Leavitt Report: Covering the Low-Income Uninsured in Oklahoma: Recommendations for a Medicaid Demonstration proposal (Oklahoma Health Care Authority)
• Commonwealth Fund: How States Stand to Gain or Lose from Opting  In or Out  of the Medicaid Expansion
• Kaiser Family Foundation: The Cost and Coverage Implications of the ACA Medicaid Expansion: National and State-by-State Analysis

Opinions and Commentaries

• Opinion: To improve Oklahoma’s health, Gov. Mary Fallin should drop opposition to affordable health insurance (Carly Putnam, Tulsa World)
• Opinion: Seven things Oklahoma can do to balance its budget without damaging health, safety, or economic well-being (David Blatt, Tulsa World)
• Blog post: Kansas is considering expanding health coverage. Oklahoma should, too.
• Blog post: Rejecting federal funds is devastating Oklahoma’s rural hospitals
• Blog post: Oklahoma has options to insure our people. Here’s how.
• Blog post: Covering the uninsured is not a hard problem
• Column: Guess What? Obamacare is Working (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Blog Post: Governor blames Obama for Medicaid cuts. The real reason is closer to home
• Blog Post: Insure Oklahoma extended – but we could do so much more
• Opinion: In Texarkana, Uninsured and on the Wrong Side of the State Line (Annie Lowery, The New York Times) 
• Blog Post: More than 50 Oklahoma musicians release song to raise awareness of Affordable Care Act
• Blog Post: Critics of Medicaid expansion aren’t telling the whole story
• Blog Post: I Get Knocked Down
• Blog Post: Avoiding devastating health care cuts will require hard choices
• Blog Post: Rejecting Medicaid expansion would mean huge tax transfer to Washington
• Opinion: State should revisit Medicaid decision in light of rural hospital finances (Tulsa World)
• Opinion: A chance to help Oklahoma families and businesses (David Blatt and Robert J. LaFortune, Tulsa World)
• Opinion: Could ‘Obamacare’ be accepted in Oklahoma by another name? (Theda Skocpol, Tulsa World)
• Basic Facts: The Oppositional Politics of Health Reform in Oklahoma (David Blatt, Scholars Strategy Network)
• Column: A Path Forward (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Blog post: Exchanges 101: New insurance marketplaces will help link over 300,000 Oklahomans with affordable coverage
• Blog post: Key questions and answers on last-minute Insure Oklahoma proposal
• Blog Post: Leavitt or Leave It: Consultant’s report suggests path for extending health insurance coverage
• Blog Post: Oregon Medicaid study strengthens case to expand Medicaid (Guest Blog: Judy Solomon)
• Blog Post: Oklahoma health insurance consumers will still receive benefits and protections of the Affordable Care Act
• Blog Post: Many sizes fit all: Feds show flexibility in extending coverage
• Opinion: Hospital Executives: Let’s create an Oklahoma Plan for Medicaid funds (Oklahoman)
• Blog Post: A lose-lose situation: Oklahoma still wears health law blinders
• Opinion: Many sizes fit all (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Opinion: We can’t afford to reject federal health care (Tiece Dempsey, Tulsa World)
• Opinion: Medicaid expansion opt-out hurts businesses (Larry Mocha, Tulsa World)
• Blog post: Medicaid proves its worth
• Blog Post: What’s unaffordable?
• Opinion: The right thing to do (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Blog Post:  Where the Affordable Care Act fits into the gun  control debate
• Blog Post: Wither Insure Oklahoma?
• Blog Post: Wrong Number – Medicaid expansion estimates are exaggerated and misleading
• Blog Post: What the Governor’s health care decisions mean for Oklahomans (Medicaid and exchanges)
• Op-ed: Affordable Care action put Oklahomans last (David Blatt, Tulsa World)
• Blog Post: Avoiding the Medicaid coverage crater
• Blog Post: “Missouri analysis shows economic benefits of Medicaid expansion” (Jeff Alderman)
• Opinion:  “Politics versus compassion” (Dr. Doug Cox, R-Grove, Grand Lake News Online)
• Op-ed: Providing health care access is pro-business (Amy Dunn, Oklahoman)
• Opinion:  “Expanding Medicaid is affordable and vital (Kate Richey, Oklahoma Gazette)
• Column: What’s the plan (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Column: Cutting off our noses (David Blatt, Journal Record)
• Blog Post: Wither Insure Oklahoma?
• Column: Medicaid Matters (David Blatt, Journal Record)

Statements and Letters

• OK Policy Statement: Governor’s proposal for Insure Oklahoma sacrifices taxpayers and the uninsured
• OK Policy Statement: Governor’s decision not to join Medicaid expansion is deeply troubling
• Letter(PDF) (HTML): OK Policy’s Board calls on Governor and legislative leaders to reconsider Medicaid decision
• Statement: Supreme Court’s ruling means it’s time to move forward

News Coverage

• News Article: NewsOK, No Medicaid expansion reason for Mercy’s plan to lay off up to 300 workers in four states
• News Article: Enid News & Eagle, Expansion critical for Insure Oklahoma, Integris President says
• News Article: Tulsa World, Insure Oklahoma deserves longer life
• News Article: Tulsa World, Thousands of Oklahomans will remail uninsured after Affordable Care Act takes effect
• News article: Tulsa World, Report urges Oklahoma to use ‘enhanced federal funding’ for health care of uninsured
• News Article: Huffington Post, 284,000 Uninsured Veterans May Miss Out On Health Coverage If 25 States Reject Expansion: Study
• News Article: Oklahoma Gazette, “Oklahoma grapples with serious health care challenges without expanding Medicaid
• News Article: Rejecting Medicaid expansion would hit Oklahoma employers hard, study finds
• Editorial: Janet Pearson, Tulsa World, :Oklahoma Medicaid debate: It’s not over ’til it’s over”
• Editorial: Janet Pearson, Tulsa World, “Medicaid expansion still an issue in state”
• Radio Interview: Policy analyst Kate Richey on Studio Tulsa discussing Governor’s decision not to expand Medicaid
• News Article: Oklahoma Gazette, “Medi-cant”
• News Article: Tulsa World, “Shawnee dentist quits State Board of Health, blasts Governor on Medicaid”
• News Article: Oklahoma Watch, “Free clincs provide some health care to state’s uninsured”

Click here for other resources on health care reform