Attorney General Scott Pruitt continues his futile attempt to have it declared unconstitutional. Gov. Mary Fallin refuses to accept our tax dollars back from Washington, D.C., to cover Oklahomans most in need of health coverage. Insurance Commissioner John Doak calls the ACA a “disaster,” and although his agency has received a federal grant to inform […]
ACA
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Paseo visionary
“All of a sudden, everyone hears this big, baritone voice, and it reverberated throughout the entire building,” said Karen Orr, the gallery owner. “I can’t get that out of my head. There was no microphone, and it wasn’t required.” Belt, an attorney and urban developer, was known for working behind the scenes and doing little […]
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A tax cut to die for
Fallin claims income tax cuts will make us more “competitive,” but our economy (fueled by federal spending and high oil and agriculture prices) grew at the third-highest rate nationally in the past decade. Betting our future on continued high oil prices is the definition of insanity. Texas is ranked No. 1 nationally as a business-friendly […]
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Health insurance? Fooey!
First, the Republican governor delayed implementing aspects of the ACA, otherwise known as Obamacare, in hopes that it would be rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court. When that plan failed, she and others counted on the election of a Republican president to push its repeal. That plan didn’t work out so well, either. Finally, it’s […]
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Wait for it
Matt Robison Credit: Mark Hancock Ironically, the need for state development and control was Oklahoma’s rationale for turning down a $54 million Early Innovator Grant in 2011 — the highest federal grant awarded to only seven states viewed as “leading the way on building a better health insurance marketplace.” Yet action on a state-created exchange […]
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Hail to the jail
The Oklahoma County Jail wins national accreditation, but other challenges remain. BY CLIFTON ADCOCK The Oklahoma County Jail has received national accreditation for jail operation from the American Correctional Association, but the beleaguered facility still faces issues with the U.S. Department of Justice. Sheriff John Whetsel said the jail has been working to win accreditation […]
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State of health
Perhaps not coincidentally, it is among the bottom tier of states for health coverage. Families USA, a health care consumer advocacy group, lists Oklahoma as among the top 10 states “dying for health coverage.” According to Gallup, about 22 percent of all Oklahomans are uninsured, making it the 47th worst state in the nation, in […]