Voters in deep-red Oklahoma weigh Medicaid expansion tomorrow as virus cases climb

Voters in deep-red Oklahoma this week could order Medicaid expansion for at least 200,000 poor adults, defying state and Trump administration officials fighting to limit the Obamacare program.

If voters approve a ballot measure on Tuesday, Oklahoma would become the first state to broadly expand government-backed health insurance to many of its poorest residents since the beginning of a pandemic that has stripped many people of coverage. At the same time, that could scuttle the Trump administration’s efforts to make Oklahoma a test case for its plan to transform the entitlement program into a block grant.

While ballot measures on Medicaid expansion in recent years have succeeded in other Republican strongholds like Idaho, Nebraska and Utah, the Oklahoma vote comes at a volatile time. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is warning the program would be unaffordable while the state suddenly confronts an estimated $1.3 billion shortfall. Voter turnout is also in question as infection rates surge and the state braces for the possibility of cases stemming from President Donald Trump’s recent rally in Tulsa. At least eight Trump staffers working the event last weekend have tested positive for the virus.

The ballot measure would extend coverage to poor adults without children earning just about $17,000 per year. Many of them have limited affordable coverage options, since they earn too little to qualify for subsidies to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare marketplace. Supporters believe the rise in urgent medical needs during the pandemic will help convince voters to approve it, though there’s limited reliable polling before the vote.



https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/29/oklahoma-first-expand-medicaid-during-pandemic-341841