Medicaid expansion petition challenged
Posted on: 5/10/19
On Thursday, May 9, moments before the deadline to challenge the initiative petition to expand Medicaid, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs filed a challenge with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, alleging the initiative petition to expand Medicaid by a vote of the people is unconstitutional.
Supporters of Medicaid expansion filed an initiative petition with the Secretary of State on April 19. At a recent rally in support of “covering the uninsured,” OHA President
Patti Davis was among the speakers. “We cannot improve our health statistics and outcomes in Oklahoma when we have the second highest uninsured rate in the nation,” she said.
The OHA is a supporter of the initiative to expand Medicaid and will support efforts to fight for the right of Oklahoma voters to decide if they want the state to join 37 other states and accept the federal funds at a 90-10 match rate. The state Supreme Court will have 10 days from the May 9 challenge filing to hold a hearing on the initiative challenge. For more information on the challenge,
click here.
(Lynne White)