Topic: Health

Leadership urged to reconsider Medicaid expansion decision

In a letter from its Board of Directors, Oklahoma Policy Institute has urged Governor Fallin and legislative leaders to reconsider the Governor’s decision not to participate in the expansion of Medicaid for uninsured low-income adults. “The practical benefits of accepting… Read more [More...]

Medicaid Expansion: OK Policy’s Letter to Leadership

To:      Governor Mary Fallin             Speaker-Elect T.W. Shannon             President Pro Tem Brian Bingman From: Oklahoma Policy Institute David Blatt, Director             Board of Directors             Vincent LoVoi, Chair             Don Millican             Nancy Robertson                     Albert ‘Kell’ Kelly             Steve Burrage             Susan Neal             Linda Edmondson Subject: Medicaid… Read more [More...]

Jeff Alderman: Missouri analysis shows economic benefits of Medicaid expansion

Jeff Alderman, MD is an associate professor at OU-Tulsa, and a regular contributor to OK Policy’s blog Governor Mary Fallin recently decided to forego Medicaid expansion for low-income adults in Oklahoma under the Affordable Care Act.  The Governor asserted that… Read more [More...]

Wrong Number: Medicaid cost estimates are exaggerated and misleading

In announcing her decision not to participate in the expansion of Medicaid for low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act, Governor Mary Fallin asserted: Expanding Medicaid as written in the [Affordable Care Act] would cost the state of Oklahoma as… Read more [More...]

STATEMENT: Governor’s decision not to join Medicaid expansion is deeply troubling

Governor Fallin’s decision not to expand the Medicaid program to cover uninsured low-income adults is deeply troubling and unfortunate, putting politics over the interests of Oklahomans. Read more... [More...]

The Economic Impact of Infant Mortality in Oklahoma

The State Department of Health convened a leadership summit in October 2012 to address a public health problem that is as tragic as it is entrenched in Oklahoma: infant mortality.  The summit is part of a statewide initiative to raise… Read more [More...]

Looming deadline forces Oklahoma’s hand on a health exchange

Oklahoma faces a Nov. 16 deadline to to submit a blueprint for creating a health care insurance exchange or have one created for us by the federal government. This blog post from July explained how lack of cooperation by state… Read more [More...]

Watch This: Dental health and school performance

Students with poor dental health are nearly three times more likely to miss school than their healthy peers. Oklahoma kids have poor oral health overall.  According to the Governor’s Task Force on Children and Oral Health:   The statewide prevalence for… Read more [More...]

Why Place Matters: Data on health, housing and equity

The variables that affect our individual health are too many to name or measure.  Genetics and behavior are strong determinants for most of us.  For some, mere chance can lead to contracting a deadly virus or suffering chronic pain from… Read more [More...]

Place Matters: Health, Housing & Equity in OKC

Using data from the American Housing Survey, this analysis highlights how both the built environment of a physical space and differential access to quality public services affect household and neighborhood health.  While the results reveal differences in the environmental quality… Read more [More...]