While legislators in Washington are mired in the process of deciding whether to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers in Oklahoma are devising their own plan that could affect coverage for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans.
As OklahomaWatch reports, two new bills moving through the state Legislature would loosen requirements for insurers in Oklahoma. Supporters of the bill say the loosened regulations would drive down premiums and encourage competition in the marketplace.
As of now, Oklahoma only has one insurer left in the Obamacare marketplace, Blue Cross Blue Shield. But opponents of the measures say they would put Oklahomans with serious health conditions at risk of losing their coverage, thus burying them in debt.
Oklahoma is one of 19 states that has refused to expand Medicare under the Affordable Care Act.