Topic: Health

Oklahoma is missing a big opportunity to improve mental illness and addiction treatment

By: Carly Putnam
August 31, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
One of the most successful ways that’s been found to help people escape from opioid addiction is through medications that partially mimic the effect of more dangerous opioids while causing less intoxication and less physical dependence. Despite the success of… Read more [More...]

New report shows what Oklahoma’s missing by refusing Medicaid expansion

By: Carly Putnam
August 10, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Three years ago, a central provision of the Affordable Care Act kicked in – the option for states to expand their Medicaid programs for the low-income uninsured via a substantial infusion of federal funds. While 31 states and Washington D.C.… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma drug law enforcement agency moves toward ‘treatment option’ to combat addiction (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
July 22, 2016 // 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. You can find past Capitol Updates archived  on his website. There was an important announcement… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s teen birth rate is near the highest in the country. We can do better.

By: Tara Grigson
June 22, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Tara Grigson is an OK Policy intern. She is a psychology and Spanish major at the University of Tulsa and previously worked as a Mission Impact Intern at YWCA Tulsa. Oklahoma ranks 2nd among all U.S. states for the highest… Read more [More...]

Despite improvements, Oklahoma’s health insurance marketplace enrollment lags

By: Amanda Rightler
June 16, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Amanda Rightler was an OK Policy intern. She recently graduated from the University of Tulsa with majors in chemistry and economics. New national data shows that 90 percent of Americans had health insurance in 2015, due in large part to… Read more [More...]

Waivers allow Oklahoma to experiment with Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act

By: Carly Putnam
June 15, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
We’ve heard a lot about waivers recently: Lawmakers recently passed a bill authorizing the state to apply for an Affordable Care Act waiver. Lawmakers debated but ultimately did not approve a waiver plan to accept federal funds for covering the… Read more [More...]

Food deserts are a big reason behind Oklahomans’ poor health

By: Ethan Rex
June 13, 2016 // Updated: September 22, 2023
Ethan Rex was an OK Policy spring intern. He is a sociology senior at the University of Tulsa and a research assistant with Women in Recovery, an alternative to incarceration for eligible women convicted of non-violent, drug-related offenses. Earlier this year, Walmart… Read more [More...]

Highs and lows of Oklahoma’s 2016 legislative session

By: David Blatt
June 6, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The 2016 session began with some high hopes and grave concerns given the state’s massive budget shortfall. Prior to session, OK Policy laid out our top priorities in the areas of budget and taxes, health care, education, criminal justice, economic… Read more [More...]

Proposed budget will add to the cost of mental illness in Oklahoma

By: Carly Putnam
May 26, 2016 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Terri White, Commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), has frequently said that mental health has never been adequately funded in Oklahoma. The state ranks 44th in the nation for mental health spending per… Read more [More...]

Budget plan brings more bad news for Oklahoma seniors, children, & people with disabilities

By: Carly Putnam
// Updated: May 2, 2019
Earlier this month, we warned that important protections for seniors, children, and Oklahomans with disabilities were crumbling because the Department of Human Services had already made “the easy cuts” and was now forced to make cuts that directly hurt our… Read more [More...]