Guest Blog (Camille Landry): Stayin’ alive

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and advocate for social justice who lives in Oklahoma City. This is the first in a series, “Neglected Oklahoma”, focused on Oklahomans who find themselves in a position where the basic necessities of life… Read more [More...]

Wither Insure Oklahoma?

In announcing that Oklahoma would not take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults, Governor Mary Fallin stated she was committed to developing an “Oklahoma Plan to reduce the… Read more [More...]

Crappy Holidays: Retail work in Oklahoma

Early January is a busy time of year for retail stores.  Shoppers flock to malls and shopping centers to take advantage of storewide after-holiday sales, spend their gift cards, and return or exchange items.  While many consumers find the holiday… Read more [More...]

Graph of the Day: Off Medicaid and ‘back to work’?

Incoming House Speaker T.W. Shannon recently suggested that SoonerCare/Medicaid enrollees in Oklahoma should get “off of Medicaid and back to work.”  The idea that the Medicaid program is providing health care to adults who are choosing not to work is… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Governor’s decision not to join Medicaid expansion is deeply troubling

Governor Fallin’s decision not to expand the Medicaid program to cover uninsured low-income adults is deeply troubling and unfortunate, putting politics over the interests of Oklahomans. Read more... [More...]

Guest Blog (Dr. John Schumann): 'Help Wanted' for Medicaid expansion

John Henning Schumann is a writer and doctor in Tulsa. He runs the Internal Medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. He created the blog GlassHospital.com and is on Twitter @GlassHospital. Despite its complexities and its… Read more [More...]

(Summer Re-Run) Medicaid Matters: Study finds coverage boosts health outcomes and financial security

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, states must decide whether to expand Medicaid to cover adults with incomes below 133 percent of the federal poverty level.  This post originally ran on our blog… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Supreme Court ruling means it's time to move forward

David Blatt, Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute, released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act: The Supreme Court ruling to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is a significant victory… Read more [More...]

Why total spending has gone up as budgets are cut

OK Policy has spent a lot of time focusing on the real and continuing damage caused by repeated state budget cuts over the past three years, as well as the fact that state tax collections are at historic lows. Meanwhile,… Read more [More...]

A Rock and a Hard Place: 'Asset-tests' and Oklahoma's poor

The federal ‘Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations‘ (FDPIR) program provides food assistance to low-income Native American households living in Indian Country.  Many households participate in FDPIR as an alternative to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), formerly the food stamp… Read more [More...]