Oklahoma Policy Institute -

Medicaid 101: The SoonerCare Safety Net

kate — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:08:43 -0600

Medicaid, known as SoonerCare in Oklahoma, is the primary health care safety net program in the state, without which thousands of families would forgo basic health services for their children, lack necessary medical care for their disables loved ones, and be left to shoulder alone the unsustainable burden of the long-term care of their parents and grandparents.

Tax Reform Information

Gene — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:28:16 -0500

Oklahoma Policy Institute has been an active participant in the debate over the proposed elimination of reduction of the state personal income tax. Listed below are presentations, fact sheets, blog posts, and other information we've prepared related to tax reform, as well as links to media coverage of the issue.

Fact Sheets

What You Can Do (February 2012) An action alert briefly explaining why it's important to save the state income tax and what you can do today to get involved.
Budget Trends and Highlights (January 2012): The recession, ongoing phase-in of tax cuts, and proliferation of tax exemptions led to precipitous revenue declines in FY ’09 and FY ’10, which we have only partially recovered from.
The Tax Shift (January 2012): The proposals of the tax reform task force would hike taxes for most Oklahomans and would especially hurt seniors and families with children.
8 Reasons Why Oklahoma Should Preserve The State Income Tax (November 2011): Based on the OK Policy issue brief, "The Case for the Income Tax," this concise, 1-page fact sheet lays out why cutting the state income tax is a bad idea.
Oklahoma Individual Income Tax Basics (August 2011): This fact sheet explains three important concepts for understanding Oklahoma's income tax: 1) taxable income, 2) tax brackets, and 3) effective tax rates.
10 Things You Should Know About Oklahoma's Budget and Tax System (June 2011): Here are ten facts to help anyone better understand Oklahoma's budget and tax system. A great conversation starter!
Cutting Oklahoma's top income tax rate: Who benefits? (February 2011): An analysis of who benefited from the last top-down cuts to the state income tax. More attempts to lower the top rate would have similar disproportionate benefits for the wealthiest Oklahomans.

New fact sheet shows income tax proposal would hike taxes for a majority of Oklahomans

Gene — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:16:22 -0600

Current Budget Information

david — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:18:09 -0500

This Budget Information page and the OK Policy blog provide you the key resources you need to make sense of where things stand with the state budget, follow emerging developments, and explore ideas for managing the state fiscal crisis.

Number of the Day

david — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:11:14 -0500

Thursday, February 9th

117

Number of Oklahomans killed to date by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Source: The Washington Post

Wednesday, February 8th

3.3 percent

Percentage of births in Oklahoma attended by nurse-midwives, 1,827 babies in 2007