EDITORIAL: Another Medicaid push

April 21-- Apr. 21--Oklahoma voters may have the final say on Medicaid expansion if a ballot initiative is pushed through to a 2020 election.

A law group filed State Question 802 on Friday. The language of the ballot reads, "This measure adds a new Article to the Oklahoma Constitution. The new Article would expand Oklahoma's Medicaid program to include certain low-income adults between the ages of 18 and 65 whose income does not exceed 133 percent of the federal poverty level, as permitted under the federal Medicaid laws."

Medicaid expansion, which the News Press has previously supported, would draw from previously untapped federal dollars in the hundreds of millions, it would insure tens of thousands of more Oklahomans.

It doesn't come without additional cost to the state, and many conservative opponents point to other states that had underestimated the amount of people who enrolled.

We would argue that insurance allowing for preventative healthcare is ultimately a cost-saving measure, considering that health care costs tend to soar when people fail to get proper treatment until health situations become dire.

Our only drawback is the wish that many, even in the Capitol have, that something could be done within the Legislature before it has to go to the ballot box. The Legislature, in theory, should be able to agree on a plan that mitigates too many unintended consequences. If they fail to do so, Oklahomans will almost certainly take a more progressive stance on state initiatives like we've seen in criminal justice reform and medical marijuana.

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