Oklahoma voters narrowly approve Medicaid expansion

(Image credit: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

published 1 July 2020

Voters in Oklahoma on Tuesday narrowly approved expanding Medicaid coverage to about 200,000 low-income adults.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, State Question 802 passed by 6,488 votes, The Oklahoman reports. This amends the Oklahoma Constitution, preventing the state's Republican-led Legislature from undoing the expansion.

Amber England, the campaign manager for Yes on 802, said in a statement that in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, "Oklahomans stepped up and delivered life-saving care for nearly 200,000 of our neighbors, took action to keep our rural hospitals open, and brought our tax dollars home to protect jobs and boost our local economy."

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Oklahoma has until July 1, 2021, to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act; the state will be responsible for 10 percent of the cost, with the federal government paying the rest. About 800,000 residents are now covered by Medicaid.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.