Oklahoma just proved that when left up to rank-and-file citizens, Medicaid expansion is popular.
At their June 30 primary election, Oklahomans approved a constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The vote makes the measure immune to politics with neither the governor nor legislators able to alter the outcome.
When left to the 149 members of the Oklahoma legislature, expansion never had a prayer. But when put before 680,000 Oklahomans, the measure passed, albeit narrowly.
Much like Kansas, Oklahoma’s GOP legislators had steadfastly refused to expand Medicaid, most oftentimes out of spite to President Obama’s signature healthcare act, as well as a punitive attitude to the poor.
Such hate has worked to deny the state an estimated $8.6 billion in federal funds over a 10-year period. In Kansas, we’re leaving about $7.3 billion on the table every decade.
At 14%, Oklahoma ranks second to Texas in the number of uninsured. Kansas isn’t far behind, with about 12% of our citizens lacking health insurance. Experts say we could cut that in half with a broader Medicaid system.
FED UP with the intransigence of their lawmakers, Oklahomans put the measure up for a statewide vote.
Supporters needed at least 177,958 signatures, or 15% of registered voters, to sign a petition to put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. The initiative received almost double those necessary, making it the most popular ballot initiative in the state’s history.
Unfortunately, Kansas does not yield such privilege to its people.
Kansas is one of 24 states that forbids citizen-initiated measures at the statewide level.
IF KANSAS were to expand Medicaid, an additional 150,000 Kansans making up to 138% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for health insurance through KanCare. For a family of four, that upper limit is $35,535. The more you make, the less you receive in benefits.
In Oklahoma, an additional 200,000 low-income adults will benefit, beginning July 2021. States that sign on today pay 10% of the costs with the federal government picking up the rest.
To their credit, Kansas legislators did pass Medicaid expansion in 2017, only to have Gov. Sam Brownback veto it. This year, hopes were dashed when a compromise bill getting traction was doomed by Senate leadership.
All this, despite the fact that 70% of Kansans have voiced their support of its passage.
Oklahoma’s success comes with valuable lessons. As with Kansas, its rural areas are its most disadvantaged. And yet the measure failed by 2-to-1 margins in those parts, with voters in Tulsa and Oklahoma City carrying the measure.
