A bill intended to protect patients from a harmful insurance practice known as ‘step therapy’ has been signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt. Senate Bill 509, authored by Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, requires any health insurance plan that utilizes a step therapy protocol to establish guidelines governing the…
An Oklahoma congresswoman wants expansion of Obamacare and an end to efforts to slow down the march to socialized medicine. U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn voted for a meaningless Democrat resolution to condemn the Trump administration for supporting of a court ruling to rule Obamacare unconstitutional. The four Republicans in Oklahoma’s congressional delegation voted no. Horn…
Insurance Commissioner-elect Glen Mulready has tapped Oklahoma native and adviser Tyler Laughlin to lead his transition efforts. Laughlin, currently a deputy commissioner for the Oklahoma Insurance Department, was also part of the transition team for former Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Mulready said Laughlin would serve as chief of staff and first deputy insurance commissioner. “I…
A little-known provision of the Affordable Care Act has been stealthily contributing to higher health insurance premiums. It’s called the Health Insurance Tax, or HIT — and Congress is finally ready to do something about it. Earlier this summer, a bipartisan House majority voted to suspend the HIT through 2021. Now it’s the Senate’s…
Can Oklahoma cut down on the number of motorists who are uninsured? Will Oklahoma’s crackdown on uninsured motorists since November 1 lead Oklahoma towards a historic zero uninisured drivers status, or at least, becoming the state with the fewest uninsured drivers? According to consumer research website ValuePenguin.com, Oklahoma’s uninisured driver rate has seen one of…
In less than a week, we will find out what the American voter really cares about. To the Democrats, the only thing Americans want is free medical coverage, which means a single payer. This will only put private carriers out of business and increase the power and scope of the federal government. To the leftist…
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak plans to work with the Legislature to expand state law regarding short-term limited duration health insurance coverage. In August, the Trump administration finalized rules on short-term policies expanding the maximum duration from three months to 12 months and allowing insurers to renew or extend short-term coverage for up to…
Oklahoma employers could pay less for workers’ compensation insurance next year. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has proposed an overall loss cost decrease of 2.3 percent in a filing that many insurers use to develop prices. NCCI credits the reduced loss cost to favorable experience across all industry groups. “This is great news…