Gov. Kevin Stitt has put a state question to expand Medicaid in Oklahoma on the June 30 ballot.
State Question 802 supporters turned in more than 313,000 signatures last year to qualify the proposal for a statewide vote. It needed 178,000.
SQ802 would amend the state constitution to expand Medicaid as allowed under the Affordable Care Act without any additional restrictions. Adults making up to 138% of the federal poverty level would be eligible, extending health coverage to tens of thousands of Oklahomans who don't have employer-sponsored insurance and currently make too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to get subsidies for marketplace plans.
Stitt opposes SQ802 and is pursuing his own Medicaid expansion plan, which he's dubbed "SoonerCare 2.0." SoonerCare is the name of Oklahoma's Medicaid program.
Stitt's proposal would expand Medicaid as soon as this year, but it also seeks to shift its federal funding to a capped program announced earlier this year, the Healthy Adult Opportunity Program.
That funding program also allows states to implement additional restrictions. Stitt is proposing tiered work requirements and monthly premiums for his plan, which opponents say defeat Medicaid's purpose of providing health care to low-income individuals.
