Health insurance program in Oklahoma set to expire

Oklahoma Health insurance

Oklahoma health insurance program waiver denied by federal government Nearly 5,000 Oklahoma employers are to be notified that the state’s Insure Oklahoma program will expire at the end of this year. State officials had reached out to the federal government in order to receive a waiver for the program, but the federal government has denied this request. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the waiver was rejected due to the new health insurance opportunities that would be created through the Affordable Care Act next year. Small businesses…

Read More

Health insurance law finds opposition in Oklahoma

Oklahoma Health insurance

Oklahoma refuses to take action on health insurance law Controversy has ignited in Oklahoma, where Insurance Commissioner John Doak has announced that the Oklahoma Insurance Department refuses to enforce the Affordable Care Act. The state agency is meant to ensure that the numerous provisions of the federal law are enacted throughout the state, such as the establishment of a health insurance exchange. The Affordable Care Act has been meeting strong resistance in Oklahoma, which may mean that the federal government will be taking over the enactment of the health care…

Read More

Oklahoma shelves plans to build its own health insurance exchange

Oklahoma lawmakers have determined that the state will not work to build its own health insurance exchange. The exchange is mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Federal officials claim that insurance exchanges would give consumers access to affordable coverage and help reduce the cost of insurance premiums. Oklahoma legislators are not keen to take this as fact, however, and will wait until the U.S. Supreme Court has reviewed the federal law before they continue to work to comply with the federal government’s mandates. Oklahoma is one of many states that…

Read More

Oklahoma legislative panel suggests building a health insurance exchange

A legislative panel commissioned to determine whether Oklahoma should pursue building its own health insurance exchange system has finally reached a conclusion. The panel released a report to the state’s Legislature recommending action be taken on building an exchange in order to avoid the federal government taking charge and establishing its own. The state has had a rocky history with the concept of the exchange and has been slow to adopt legislation that would make the program possible. The panel is now stressing the importance of building an adequate system…

Read More

Study shows that states could see major benefits from establishing health insurance exchanges

A new study from the Urban Institute, an organization that investigates social and economic problems in the U.S., suggests that Oklahoma, as well as 14 other states, could see major benefits from establishing a health insurance exchange. The study shows that, at this point, Oklahoma has done the least to make progress on the project, apart from states that have refused the law completely. A health insurance exchange would have a significant economic impact for the state and its peoples, according to the Urban Institute. Over the past year, three…

Read More