Topic: Health

Watch this: “Is Obamacare Working? The Affordable Care Act Five Years Later”

By: Carly Putnam
April 30, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
On the five-year anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, author and blogger John Green asks: is it working? The answer is yes – and no. In the clip below, Green discusses the ACA’s successes, including a sharply… Read more [More...]

Federal Money As Promised (FMAP)

By: David Blatt
April 16, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
It’s rare that Congress finds bipartisan consensus on important issues, but that happened last month when the House approved health care legislation that includes an extension of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Last night the bill was overwhelmingly… Read more [More...]

Medicaid back on the chopping block

By: David Blatt
April 7, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As the Oklahoma Legislature enters the final months of session, state agencies and the populations they serve are bracing for another round of painful budget cuts. A stark example of the high stakes involved in this year’s budget shortfall is… Read more [More...]

Kansas is considering expanding health coverage. Oklahoma should, too.

By: Carly Putnam
March 25, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
It’s no secret that Kansas’s budget is in crisis. Following years of tax cuts and fiscal mismanagement, the state finds itself in a $600 million budget shortfall. The state is scrambling to fill the gap, including across-the-board budget reductions and… Read more [More...]

What Fallin’s goals for state government tell us about Oklahoma

By: Gene Perry
February 24, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
During her 2015 State of the State Address, Governor Fallin announced a new state website that would identify measurable objectives for state government and track how Oklahoma is doing at reaching these objectives over time. The website looks at 160… Read more [More...]

Sleeping dogs of the 2015 session

By: David Blatt
February 18, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The 2015 session is now underway and it’s clear that this year, as always, will feature heated debates on a multitude of contentious issues, from proposals to expand school choice through vouchers and charter schools to efforts to rein in… Read more [More...]

The ACA’s second Open Enrollment Period is almost over. Here’s what you need to know.

By: Carly Putnam
February 13, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The Affordable Care Act’s second Open Enrollment Period was largely a quiet affair. Without the headline-grabbing website glitches that plagued its predecessor, it has largely coasted under the radar. In fact, open enrollment has been substantially more successful this time… Read more [More...]

Too many foster youth enter the adult world without a safety net (Guest post: Brandon Crawford)

By: Guest
February 5, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Brandon L. Crawford s one of four 2014-2015 OK Policy Research Fellows. Brandon is a Sociology Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma’s Norman Campus. He is also a research assistant at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’ Office of… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s health ranking: same song, another verse

By: Carly Putnam
February 3, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The latest nationwide health ranking is out, and Oklahoma in its customary trailing position on national comparisons. United Health Foundation’s annual America’s Health Rankings report placed Oklahoma 46th in the US for the health of our people. This continues the… Read more [More...]

Priorities for Oklahoma lawmakers in 2015

By: Gene Perry
February 2, 2015 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Oklahoma’s 2015 Legislative session kicks off today with a State of the State address from Governor Mary Fallin. OK Policy and the Together Oklahoma coalition have identified six priorities for the coming session that are practical, politically achievable steps to… Read more [More...]