OK, we’ve been watching the Ken Burns documentary, “The Roosevelts”. I intended to resume more regular critiques of the “research” by the limited thinkers at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and have been too distracted to do so till now. Over the first two and a half years of this blog I posted about 60 times doing just that, which I summarized in Dirty Dozen Data Drivelers over a year ago. I needed a break as one can only read so much of shoddy research and analysis like that produced by the OCPA without it causing feelings of frustration and despair. Besides, much of their work during that time was to convince the public and policy makers that teachers should not receive a pay increase. They failed; teachers received two consecutive years of raises, and the OCPA lost a great deal of relevance.
While public education remains the greatest responsibility of our state government, not far behind is providing for access to adequate health care for all Oklahomans. This issue is now front and center as the successful Initiative Petition effort has State Question 802 for Medicaid expansion on the statewide ballot set for June 30.
The effort gathered more than 300,000 signatures, the most ever in our state. If approved Oklahoma will join 36 other states in expanding Medicaid coverage to more of its residents, about 200,000, under the federal Affordable Care Act that has been available since 2014 but was prevented by our Republican legislators and governors.
Here is information about the effort from the Oklahoma Policy Institute—a real think tank, not a stink tank like the OCPA—and from the Yes on 802 support organization. I have posted several times previously on related matters and believe this is a matter of universal health care being good public policy. The United Nations has proclaimed that universal health care is a human right.
Around 1965 we decided that our population over age 65 should have health insurance which addressed the market reality that few in that age category could expect coverage in a “market based” model of insurance, i.e. old people are just too costly. I wonder how many of the geezers and old geezers on the OCPA’s board of directors rant and rave about the “ne’er do wells” of working age not deserving Medicaid coverage, but would also rant and rave if anyone tried to take away their Medicare coverage which in fact is being paid for by many of those “ne’er do wells” they would keep uninsured.
In my opinion, if our nation has the resources to provide insurance for old people who are past their years of real productivity (and if you think we Medicare recipients paid in enough to cover ourselves already, then why is the Medicare fund on the verge of insolvency?), then it has the resources to provide health insurance for those of, or soon to be, working age who are adding to the nation’s production, wealth and the Medicare trust fund. So it behooves us to invest in the good health and productivity of those who are making it happen, more so than for those of us who are no longer contributing.
Therefore, I will take a deep breath and, as painful as it will be, start checking out the OCPA’s website again looking particularly for their drivel in opposition to expansion of Medicaid, where they will try to justify the policy decision of our state Republican party to turn its back on over $1 billion the last six years—yes they believe our state, that is already a net taker of federal funds because of its relative poverty compared to our coastal sister states, is rich enough to turn its back on that funding and send money to Washington to fund health insurance for Massachusetts, New York and California…not. Enjoy and support SQ 802 Medicaid expansion by voting yes on June 30.
As always, lunch is on me for the first to ID the photo location.
Gary,
You have your finger on the pulse of some important issues to include Medicaid, Medicare and teacher pay. I appreciate and look forward to reading about your ideas. Thank you!
-Becky