Governor Stitt signed the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act - also called the "Unity Bill" on March 14th. This legislation is the result of months of work by the bipartisan medical marijuana working group, and it passed easily through both the House and the Senate.
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It’s been a few years since coverage expansion has been seriously entertained by state leadership, and both the state and federal landscape has shifted significantly in the meantime. Here’s a refresher of who should be covered.
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Policies that support low-income families improve the well-being of children. Policymakers have a number of options for improving economic prospects for Oklahoma’s working families and in turn improving health - including their mental health. Two practical changes are to restore the refundability of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and increase the minimum wage. Both of these policy changes would provide more economic stability for families, reducing the risk of childhood trauma and poor mental health outcomes that stem from these adverse experiences. Improving the financial well-being of families creates healthier and economically thriving communities.
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By:
Carly Putnam
February 28, 2019 // Updated: September 22, 2023
Before 2018, federal regulators had not allowed any state make Medicaid coverage contingent on meeting a work requirement. Most people on Medicaid who can work already do work, and those who don't work have good reasons for not working. However, reversing decades of precedent, the Trump administration is encouraging states to submit proposals to cut coverage for members who don't meet a work reporting requirement.
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In previous years, health care legislation has often come with a sense of existential crisis, as budget cuts and efforts to take away coverage have loomed large. But this year, with a new administration and a healthier budget, lawmakers have a chance to reverse course and offer more readily accessible quality health care in Oklahoma.
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By:
Gene Perry
February 12, 2019 // Updated: February 27, 2019
It's a new year, a new Legislature, a new governor, and many new bills that could have a big impact on Oklahomans' lives. In this episode, Gene Perry talks to OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and Policy Director Carly Putnam about the big issues we're keeping an eye on this year related to the state budget, taxes, and health care. In a future episode, we'll talk about other bills we're tracking related to education, criminal justice, and economic opportunity.
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For many low-income Oklahomans, having a place to call home isn’t something you can take for granted. Many families struggle with high rent, frequent evictions, unstable family environments, and more. Now, the state Medicaid agency, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), has proposed a new policy to terminate coverage for families who move and don’t update their address quickly enough in agency records.
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By:
Guest
February 6, 2019 // Updated: July 2, 2019
There is a certain amount of hustle commonly involved in raising a child with a developmental disability. As parents, we’re managing special education plans, medical appointments, and specialty therapies. But there is one experience where endurance, and not hustle, is called for: The Waiting List.
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Download this fact sheet as a printable pdf here.
Read about the rest of OK Policy’s 2019 Legislative Policy Priorities here.
Before 2013, widely-available junk health insurance coverage left patients at the mercy of big insurance companies, with coverage that…
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Download this fact sheet as a printable pdf here.
Read about the rest of OK Policy’s 2019 Legislative Policy Priorities here.
Oklahoma’s uninsured rate is one of the highest in the US. The effects of having so many uninsured Oklahomans…
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