Medicaid

This Week in Oklahoma Politics discusses a new poll showing a majority of Oklahomans not supporting a total ban on abortion and Gov. Kevin Stitt signing a bill to reduce the number of weeks for unemployment benefits.

Though the majority of Medicaid recipients have smartphones, most states will rely on snail mail and email to tell people their coverage is at risk with the end of the COVID public health emergency.

The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden's COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.

Federal officials now say states can no longer charge premiums to low-income residents enrolled in Medicaid and have ruled out work requirements.

The Oklahoma Legislature is back in session on Feb. 7. Managing editor Logan Layden led a discussion with the StateImpact Oklahoma reporters on what they’ll be covering, including how to deal with Medicaid expansion, new regulations on the marijuana industry, and the influence of state government on what’s taught and read in schools.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics discusses the Secretary of Defense denying a request from Gov. Kevin Stitt of a COVID-19 vaccination waiver and a federal judge putting an injunction against vaccine mandates against health care workers in facilities receiving Medicaid and Medicare funding.

About every other person in Oklahoma can't get dental insurance. Nonprofits scramble to fill in the gaps, caring for people who come in with broken teeth, painful abscesses and worse.

With record levels of people relying on Medicaid for health care, the Biden administration is making moves to expand it even farther.

About one week into sign-ups, nearly 100,000 Oklahomans have enrolled in Medicaid expansion.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says she'll focus her time in charge on getting more Americans insured.