Nearly 200,000 more Oklahomans will have access to life-saving health care when Medicaid expansion goes into effect on July 1, including tribal citizens who would benefit from closing existing health care coverage gaps.
To spotlight health care options for American Indians, the Oklahoma Policy Institute will be hosting an online panel discussion at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 29. The event is free and open to the public. The event will be livestreamed via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube social media channels for both OK Policy and its Together Oklahoma grassroots advocacy program. Links to the livestreamed event will also be available at OKPolicy.org/Countdown.
The event panelists will include Yvonne Myers, ACA/Medicaid Consultant for the Citizen Potowatomi Nation; Robyn Sunday-Allen, CEO of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic; and Kasie Nichols, Self Governance Director for the Citizen Potowatomi Nation. The panelists will discuss current health care options and how Medicaid expansion will expand access for tribal citizens.
The April 29 event is the latest in OK Policy’s Countdown to Care campaign leading up to the July 1 deadline for Oklahoma to expand Medicaid. The campaign is designed to help raise awareness about expansion and encourage Oklahomans who need coverage to apply with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which will begin accepting applications on June 1.
“OK Policy launched its Countdown to Care campaign to help Oklahomans become more aware of how Medicaid expansion can provide health care coverage for themselves, their friends or family who need it,” said OK Policy Executive Director Ahniwake Rose. “Far too many Oklahomans are unable to visit a doctor or even fill a prescription without risking their financial well-being. That’s why we fought for more than a decade to get Oklahoma to expand Medicaid in order to help improve health outcomes in Oklahoma.”
For more information, tools, actions and resources for advocates, visit OKPolicy.org/Countdown.