Topic: Health

Don’t touch Oklahoma’s Tobacco Settlement Trust Fund

By: David Blatt
November 18, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As Oklahoma staggers through an apparently endless string of bad budget years, our investments in education, health care, public safety, and infrastructure that are tied to the annual budget cycle are suffering. Amid all the cuts and all the struggles… Read more [More...]

Child uninsured rate is a health care bright spot for Oklahoma

By: Carly Putnam
November 12, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Some new research highlights a rare health care success story for Oklahoma. A new report from the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families found that the United States’ child uninsured rate hit an all-time low of… Read more [More...]

What’s really behind Oklahoma’s rising Medicaid costs (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
November 6, 2015 // 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 sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.… Read more [More...]

Affordable Care Act open enrollment: What you need to know

By: Carly Putnam
November 2, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Ah, fall: crunchy leaves on sidewalks, a hint of frost in the air, pumpkin spice everything… In other words, it’s time for open enrollment, the span between Nov. 1, 2015, and Jan. 31, 2016, when people can enroll in or… Read more [More...]

Is Oklahoma doing enough to help returning veterans?

By: Chan Aaron
October 22, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Chan Aaron is an OK Policy intern. He is pursuing an environmental policy degree at The University of Tulsa. He is also a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in philosophy and a veteran of the United States… Read more [More...]

Back on the road to Medicaid managed care

By: Carly Putnam
October 7, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
During the 2015 legislative session, lawmakers passed HB 1566, which requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to solicit requests for proposals for care coordination models for Oklahomans on Medicaid who are aged, blind, or have a disability. OHCA has… Read more [More...]

New Census data shows Oklahoma continues to trail nation in fighting poverty and covering uninsured

By: Gene Perry
September 17, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
New Census data shows Oklahoma made little progress in reducing the percentage of families living in poverty in 2014. In that year, almost one out of six Oklahomans (16.6 percent) were making less than the poverty line of $24,000 a… Read more [More...]

New data again shows what Oklahoma is giving up by refusing to expand coverage

By: Carly Putnam
September 1, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Another day, another reminder that Oklahoma’s politically-motivated refusal to expand health coverage for low-income residents is having a real impact in limiting access to health care for tens of thousands of Oklahomans. It’s been two years since the Affordable Care… Read more [More...]

Upcoming event: Zarrow Mental Health Symposium

By: Carly Putnam
August 26, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Mental Health Association Oklahoma will host the 21st annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium September 17 – 18, 2015 at the Cox Business Center in Tulsa (100 Civic Center, Tulsa, OK 74103). This year’s theme is “Integrating Healthcare: Treating Mind, Body,… Read more [More...]

Lawmakers are not done asking agencies to do more with less (Capitol Updates)

By: Steve Lewis
August 21, 2015 // 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 sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.… Read more [More...]