Topic: Health

Billions of dollars for Oklahoma and health care for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans at stake in this election (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
October 15, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. The new CEO of the Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA), Patti Davis, has decided to advocate openly for… Read more [More...]

New Census data shows that Oklahoma fell further behind the U.S. on poverty and uninsured rate for second consecutive year

By: Courtney Cullison
September 13, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Oklahoma lags behind the nation in our efforts to help families get ahead. New data from the Census Bureau shows that poverty in Oklahoma is still above the national average. In 2017, nearly 1 in 6 Oklahomans (15.8 percent) were living… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s plan for Medicaid work requirements is a dangerous experiment that will put the health of thousands of Oklahomans at risk (Guest post: Philip Rocco)

By: Guest
September 5, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Philip Rocco is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Marquette University and co-author of Obamacare Wars: Federalism, State Politics, and the Affordable Care Act (University Press of Kansas, 2016). This post is excerpted from a public comment authored by… Read more [More...]

The future of medical marijuana in Oklahoma

By: Damion Shade
August 30, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
More than half a million Oklahomans voted in favor of State Question 788 legalizing medical marijuana, making Oklahoma the 30th state in the nation to legalize the drug in some form. SQ 788 directed the Department of Health to issue rules governing the implementation of the… Read more [More...]

How many Oklahomans would lose health coverage under reporting requirements? The state doesn’t say (Guest post: Dana Bacon)

By: Guest
August 9, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Dana Bacon serves as regional director of government affairs for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As required by both executive order and state law, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) released an 1115 Medicaid waiver proposal for SoonerCare on July… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s Proposed Work Rule Would Harm Mothers and Children (Guest post: Joan Alker)

By: Guest
August 7, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Joan Alker is the Executive Director of the Center for Children and Families and a Research Professor at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy Oklahoma has one of the highest uninsured rates for children in the nation, and the… Read more [More...]

Several issues divide medical marijuana advocates and regulators (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 30, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. I attended the first meeting of the marijuana working group last Wednesday and found it interesting. First,… Read more [More...]

Episode 34: No job? No doctor. (with Carly Putnam & Hannah Katch)

By: Gene Perry
July 24, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you’d like us to cover,… Read more [More...]

Medical marijuana rule changes clearly the result of lobbying effort (Capitol Update)

By: Steve Lewis
July 16, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. In my opinion, the State Board of Health stubbed its toe last week with last minute changes… Read more [More...]

Waiver proposal is a threat to health care for thousands of Oklahoma parents and caretakers

By: Carly Putnam
July 6, 2018 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Thousands of Oklahoma families are able to see a doctor or fill a prescription because of the state’s Medicaid program, SoonerCare. But instead of working to strengthen this proven, cost-effective program, Oklahoma is asking the federal government for permission to… Read more [More...]