Oklahoma voters narrowly approve Medicaid expansion

An "I Voted" sticker.
(Image credit: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

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.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.