OKPOLICY.ORG
Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to news that the Oklahoma Health Care Authority has developed plans to accept federal funds for expanding health coverage:
It is great news for Oklahoma that state officials have come up with a plan to accept federal dollars and expand health coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Oklahomans. Under this plan, Oklahoma can finally bring these federal tax dollars back into our state, improve our health, and reduce the burden of uncompensated care that threatens many hospitals, community health centers, and other health care providers.
While this is a great first step, the details of the plan should be examined carefully. We must ensure that those who enroll in the program have access to affordable and comprehensive health care. We must also make it our highest priority to avert huge cuts to health services and provider rates proposed by the Health Care Authority, Mental Health Department, and other agencies to cope with the state’s budget crisis. These cuts threaten to decimate our health care system and to deprive hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans of needed care. A well-designed plan to accept federal funds will be a key piece to preventing this disaster.
Could it be true? The article says “state officials.” I’m trying not to get my hopes up but does that mean the Governor?
Such a logical, persuasive, and compelling article!
I recently started a Change.org petition because I HAD to advocate, in some way, for the people I know and don’t know who have no health insurance in Oklahoma. “Mary Fallin: Expand Medicaid” hasn’t gotten anywhere near the 56,000 signatures one OK-related petitions has (it was about dead cats – don’t ask), but if we each speak up, we add to the momentum. Please consider signing and sharing this petition.
Much needed
This could have saved our State over three billion dollars had the Governor not played politics. I will bet that the Governor (and probably the HCA, through some agreement) will not refer to this as expanding Medicaid under The Affordable Healthcare Act (Obama Care). Our Governor should be run out of the State.
Billions of squandered dollars, hundreds of needlessly lost lives, untold misery and fiscal disaster aside, I fervently hope that Oklahoma gets it right this time. Please, Madame Governor, put your citizens’ needs ahead of failed ideology.
If there’s a way to convince Good ole “Mattress” Mary Fallin that the citizens of Oklahoma NEED and deserve this, many Oklahoman lives may be saved in the future.
Jerri Lynn Groschick
Oklahoma City
Is it true that Oklahoma will finally go from substandard “Fallincare” to full fledged “Obamacare” ???!!! I guess totally destroying Oklahoma’s budget will make that sort of thing happen, huh? I wonder how many people died, and how much money was lost by stubbornly refusing to accept “Obamacare” money and implementing the substandard Oklahoma “Fallincare” just to play Republican politics?
I do not believe the governor of the state of Oklahoma after saying no to the expanded Medicare program is not going to do a 360 and change her mind
My daughter is one of many thousands whose well-being has been placed in jeopardy by this state’s “leaders” whose compassion doesn’t extend beyond their own family’s needs.
I hope this is true
The statement was made by Nico Gomez, CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which operates Oklahoma’s Medicaid program (known as SoonerCare).
What I understand is that we ARE NOT accepting Medicaid expansion that was part of the ACA deal. What is going to happen is that they are going to kick people off of SOONERCARE and offer subsidized privatized medical insurance under INSUREOK which will bring down some federal dollars but essentially make the insurance gap bigger since most people on Soonercare don’t make enough money to afford private insurance even if it is subsidized.
I could be wrong about this but that’s what I read the other day.
Also, my neighbor who lives on her ex-husbands fire pension, I mean this is $800 a month, was ecstatic when she got a sweet deal BCBS offered her off the exchange, almost no deductible, low copays, good coverage, for the sweet price of only $80. Then after a few months BCBS emailed her one time telling her that her premium was not going to be $80 a month but $300 a month.
Insurance Commissioner wouldn’t do squat about it.
Informative discussion , I was enlightened by the facts – Does someone know if my assistant might find a sample a form copy to edit ?