Small: Time to focus on Medicaid outcomes

Time to focus on Medicaid outcomes

By Jonathan Small

Opponents of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s call to use private contractors to oversee managed care in Medicaid say the existing system works well and doesn’t need to be fixed because the program rapidly pays providers.

But Medicaid doesn’t exist to provide cash flow to medical providers. It exists to provide health care to citizens on the welfare program and improve their outcomes. By that metric, Oklahoma’s Medicaid program fares poorly. The state’s health outcomes rank among the nation’s worst.

Managed care could improve medical outcomes and reduce the rapid growth in Medicaid expenses, which is especially necessary now that more than 600,000 able-bodied adults may be added to Oklahoma’s program due to expansion.

The leader of the state’s college system notes that rising Medicaid costs have already diverted millions away from education. That problem will only grow worse with time unless Medicaid is brought under some level of control. Without managed care, Medicaid costs will continue to skyrocket and require offsetting cuts to things like school funding and public safety and/or tax increases on working families.

Rep. Dick Lowe authors bill to increase driver testing exam locations

Rep. Dick Lowe Authors Bill to Increase Driver Testing Exam Locations

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill that will increase the number of authorized driver testing exam locations has been presented in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, is the author of House Bill 2465, which would allow certain locations, approved by the Department of Public Safety (DPS), to be proctors for the written examination for applicants for Class A, B, C or D licenses and for endorsements.  

“Over the last year we have seen an almost unbelievable increase in wait times for individuals trying to take their driver exams,” Lowe said. “These wait times are a burden for those seeking to take the test, parents of new drivers, our tag agencies and DPS. My bill seeks to relieve some of the backlog we are currently seeing and ensure that we don’t find ourselves in this situation again.”

Bill barring forced closure of Places of Worship passes State House committee

Bill Prohibiting Forced Closure of Places of Worship Passes Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – In its inaugural meeting Wednesday morning, the House States Rights Committee approved legislation to protect religious freedom and the constitutional right to worship.

Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, authored House Bill 2648, or the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act, which dictates that anything closing places of worship would be considered a substantial burden on people’s freedom of religion.

He said he filed the bill after witnessing how many religious organizations were unable to meet for several weeks due to government restrictions on the size of gatherings or emergency orders that did not deem places of worship as essential.

Oklahoma to receive $8.9M in multi-state settlement with drug company over opioid crisis

Oklahoma Reaches Multi-Million Dollar Settlement with McKinsey & Company for Role in Opioid Epidemic

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter today announced the state of Oklahoma will receive $8.9 million as part of a 47-state, $573 million settlement with consulting firm McKinsey & Company for the company’s role in the nation’s opioid epidemic.

The settlement resolves investigations by state attorneys general into McKinsey for advising opioid companies on how to promote and devise unconscionable marketing strategies for the highly addictive drugs to increase opioid sales.

The money Oklahoma receives will go to the state treasury account created to receive opioid settlement money. According to the agreement, the money must be used by the state to abate the opioid epidemic.

Attorney General Hunter said McKinsey’s actions played a significant role in the opioid epidemic.

State Senate approves renewal of Open Meeting Act exemptions

Senate OK’s renewal of Open Meeting Act exemptions

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation renewing exemptions to the Open Meeting Act put in place last year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Bill 1031 by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat reinstates the same exemptions to the Open Meeting Act that were signed into law in 2020 with some minor changes.

Among the changes from the 2020 exemptions are:

1889 Institute: Guide to governments regulation of land use

BASIC GUIDE TO GOVERNMENTS REGULATION OF LAND USE PUBLISHED

The 1889 Institute counts the ways government impacts property rights.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (February 3, 2021) – The 1889 Institute has published “Land and Prosperity: A Primer on Land Use Law and Policy,” which describes the many ways state and local governments regulate the use and disposition of private property. The publication first discusses the need to establish order among individuals whose actions impact others, then describes the benefits of private property, and then describes the many ways government interferes, justifiably or not, with property owners’ decisions in how property is used and developed.

“The study is a description of the many ways government inserts itself into the decisions property owners make about the use of their property,” said 1889’s Land Use Fellow, Brad Galbraith, the study’s author and relatively recent addition to the 1889 Institute’s staff. “It’s important to fully understand how government impacts prosperity through its influence on property rights, under which the rights to life and liberty are subsumed,” he said.

The new study makes few value judgments or arguments regarding the various types of land use regulation on government’s part, whether the subject is the common law of nuisance or zoning, or comprehensive planning.

Pastor Sam Ketcher: Join us on Abolition Day like lives depend on it because, in fact, they do

The Church At Ease With Abortion

Join us on "Abolition Day" like lives depend on it because, in fact, they do

by Pastor Sam Ketcher

  Strange really, the things that must be said. Think about it. What type of animalistic society do we live in where we must beg mothers not to murder their offspring? Like an alternate universe where up is down, and down is up? Where dark is light, and evil is good? How can a church be at ease in Zion, when a Doctor down the street meticulously dismembers small children? Does not their blood cry from the ground? How is it that a church that is commanded to be the salt of the earth would rather chase after dopamine than work tireless to save a life in the womb from being injected with saline? It is like the Twilight Zone 2.0 where political platforms feel more like Münchhausen and we the People become complicit. Like a bad case of Stockholm syndrome, we convince ourselves that our captors are benevolent and that a tiny human is just a clump of cells. 

  Some churches have become like Hanoi Jane fawning over the instruments of death in the name of love and compassion.  Some churches are a modern-day Tokyo Rose who seeks to demoralize any who dare cross the gate to say, "Babies are murdered here." Some churches are just contemporary nobleman who abstain from the fight because their only concerns are land, deeds, and titles. Waving their banners citing the great commission, they live like the great omission. Professing to be good Samaritans while in reality they have become Hellenized by a culture of death and child sacrifice. Which type of church are you apart of?

  If King Solomon were to stand before you and say bring me a sword to divide the living child in two would you be the woman who says let the child live or the woman who says let the child die?  Can you truly say you love your neighbor while holding the coats of those who slaughter the unborn? Can you truly say to the Lord you have cared for the least of these while you did nothing in the midst of a holocaust? 

Dahm files resolution to follow OK Constitution's mandate for statewide vote on new constitutional convention

Sen. Nathan Dahm files resolution calling for a state constitutional convention

It’s been 114 years since Oklahoma’s state constitution has been adopted, and State Sen. Nathan Dahm says it’s time the document is carefully reviewed.  

The Broken Arrow Republican filed Senate Joint Resolution 26 to allow Oklahoma citizens to decide if a Constitutional Convention to rewrite or revise the state constitution is needed.

“As we begin a new session and hear Governor Stitt’s vision to lead our state to becoming Top 10, we must remember the opportunity we have to set the stage for the success of future generations,” Dahm said. “SJR 26 would call for a state Constitutional Convention allowing us to alter, modify or replace our current constitution with a document to protect the rights and promote the freedoms and liberties of future generations.”

The state constitution mandates that a proposal to hold a Constitutional Convention should be submitted to a vote of the people at least once every 20 years. The last time such a proposal was submitted was 51 years ago in 1970.

Stitt administration releases Annual Accomplishments Report

STITT ADMINISTRATION RELEASES ANNUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 31, 2021) – Governor Kevin Stitt released today the 2020 Stitt Administration Annual Accomplishments Report. The comprehensive report focuses on the Stitt administration’s response to the historic COVID-19 pandemic, support for Oklahoma schools and teachers, economic growth and a continued focus on improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in state government.

“While 2020 looked a lot different from our first year in office, we have seen some great accomplishments across state government,” Governor Stitt wrote in a letter to Oklahomans included in the report. “The proactive and ongoing efforts to provide critical services during a historic pandemic have been possible thanks to our committed state employees who have worked day and night to support their fellow Oklahomans. 2020 tested the resiliency of our state and our people, but at the root of it all, we’ve endured. We remain focused on the promise of tomorrow and the promise of becoming a Top Ten state.”

Cherokee, Sequoyah join 35 other 'Second Amendment Sanctuary' counties

Last week, two sheriffs declared their counties to be Second Amendment Sanctuaries, bringing the statewide total to 37 counties since February of 2020.

The sanctuary county movement was one of the big stories of 2020 before COVID-19 took over the stage. Between February 12th and March 2nd, twenty-six county sheriffs had made such declarations. They were supported by resolutions or statements by at least four county commission boards and one district attorney.

Cherokee County Sheriff Jason Chennault issued the following open letter on January 25th:

OKGOP Chair says party platform supports abortion abolition bill SB495, calls for passage

With the Oklahoma Senate Health and Human Services Committee set to hear Senate Bill 495 tomorrow, the chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party wants legislators to know that the state GOP platform supports the abolition of abortion, and calls on committee members to pass SB 495 to the Senate floor:

Pandemic precaution protocols for 2021 legislative session announced

Pandemic precaution protocols for 2021 session announced

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 29th) – Pandemic precaution protocols for the 2021 legislative session were announced Friday.

To protect against the spread of the COVID-19 while preserving legislative functionality and public access, the Senate and House of Representatives will each:

• Continue livestreaming all proceedings online.
• Reduce committee room and legislative chamber gallery capacity to accommodate social distancing while strictly enforcing capacity limits, with committee seating first reserved for committee members and staff followed by the public.
• Establish committee overflow spaces throughout the building where committee proceedings will be broadcast in areas conducive to social distancing.
• Allow forms of remote voting upon approval of additional legislative rules once session begins.
• Continue the mask policy of masks should be worn where social distancing is not possible.
• Provide regular testing of members and staff.
• Prohibit public gatherings in legislative chambers, committee rooms and hallways.
• Limit floor appearances by the public.
• Continue regular and extensive cleaning, keep doors open where possible, increase availability of hand sanitizer, and display additional protocol and precaution signage throughout legislative space.
• Utilize a socially-distanced seating chart for joint sessions.

In addition, the Oklahoma State Department of Health made COVID-19 vaccinations available to all legislators earlier this month as part of its planned second tier of vaccinations. By early in session, a large majority of the Legislature will have been vaccinated in the interest of continuity of government.

The protocols will be regularly evaluated and are subject to change during session.

The 48-member Senate will allow remote voting for committee and proxy voting for floor votes.

“These protocols allow the Legislature to function without interruption while maintaining safety and access for members, staff and the citizens we serve,” said Senate Majority Floor Leader Kim David, R-Porter. “Shutting down the Legislature or public access to it were not options, so we developed a comprehensive, bicameral approach that is reasonable and allows the people’s business to safely continue.”

The 101-member House will allow remote voting for committee votes. Floor votes can occur from desks on the fourth floor or from a designated members-only area in the fifth floor chamber gallery in order to reduce the number of members on the floor for social distancing flexibility. Plexiglass dividers have been installed on desks in the House chamber, where two members sit at each desk as opposed to one member at each desk in the Senate.

“Functionality, safety and transparency are all accounted for in these protocols,” said House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City. “These are the same types of practical precautions legislative bodies and organizations of all kinds are using worldwide. It won’t be typical, but it is the right thing to do until the pandemic subsides enough to resume normal operations.”

The protocols were developed by legislator working groups led by David in the Senate and Echols in the House. The groups consulted with public health professionals and reviewed protocols at other legislative bodies to set the policies, which were recommended to and approved by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, in the Senate and House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, in the House.

“I appreciate the work of my Democratic and Republican Senate colleagues, as well as Senate staff, for their work on pandemic preparations,” Treat said. “The threat from COVID-19 is real and should be taken seriously by all Oklahomans. With these protocols, we are taking steps to protect the health and safety of those who work in the Capitol and those who may visit. With that said, I still encourage those who do not need to be at the Capitol to remotely follow the work of the Legislature.”

Senate protocols can be viewed here.

“We are taking the pandemic seriously. These are significant, responsible changes that I applaud my colleagues for developing,” McCall said. “If you need to be at the Capitol, you can be here safely. If you do not need to be at the Capitol, you can still view all proceedings online and contact your legislators anytime.”

House protocols can be viewed here.