OKPOLICY.ORG
Thanks to voter-approved Medicaid expansion, more than 100,000 Oklahomans will finally have health care coverage starting on July 1. To celebrate this historic milestone, Oklahoma Policy Institute is hosting a June 30 event to reflect on the journey to this point and how it will positively impact our state moving forward.
“Time for Care: Celebrating Medicaid Expansion” will be held online at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30. The event is free and open to the public. It 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 will feature a series of speakers ranging from everyday Oklahomans to advocates who have worked towards Medicaid expansion for years. They will discuss the importance of Medicaid expansion and what it means for the state. We will also provide resources on enrollment assistance as well as how and where to apply.
Speakers scheduled to participate are: Patti Davis (President of Oklahoma Hospital Association), Lisa Turner (CEO of The Arc of Oklahoma), Dana Bacon (Leukemia Lymphoma Society), Sarah Rivin (American Heart Association), Charlie Gagen (American Lung Association), Matt Glanville (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network); Amber England (Yes on 802 Campaign Manager); Steve Goldman (Legal Aid); Whitney Cipolla (Mental Health Association Oklahoma); Carly Putnam (Policy Director for OK Policy); Emma Morris (Health Care and Revenue Policy Analyst for OK Policy); and Angela Monson (Legislative and Outreach Director for OK Policy).
Oklahoma voters in June 2020 approved State Question 802, which required the state to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income Oklahoma adults starting on July 1. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority opened the application process on June 1, and it’s projected that this expanded health care option could provide life-saving coverage to about 200,000 Oklahomans. Oklahoma’s essential workers will especially benefit from expansion as many of them fall into the health care coverage gap.
The “Time for Care” event on June 30 is the final one OK Policy’s Countdown to Care campaign leading up to the July 1 deadline for Oklahoma to expand Medicaid. In May, OK Policy and the Cover OK Health Care Coalition co-hosted an event to help organizations and individuals connect Oklahomans to Medicaid expansion.
For more information, tools, actions and resources for advocates, visit OKPolicy.org/Countdown.
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About OK Policy
Oklahoma Policy Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on advancing equitable and fiscally responsible policies that expand opportunity for all Oklahomans through non-partisan research, analysis, and advocacy. Based in Tulsa, the organization was founded in 2008 as a think tank to provide independent, data-driven policy analysis for use in shaping policies that improved the lives for all Oklahomans. To learn more, visit okpolicy.org.
