Poll shows support for extending Insure Oklahoma
By WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer
Oklahomans broadly support protecting the Insure Oklahoma program, according to a poll sponsored by the advocacy group Oklahomans for a Healthy Economy.
A strong majority would like to see the program extended, the poll shows.
The poll of registered likely Oklahoma voters found that 55 percent support “a plan that expands Insure Oklahoma if it is paid for in part by federal money,” while only 28 percent oppose it.
More 50 percent of the polled Oklahomans favored Insure Oklahoma while 15 percent opposed it, with 34 percent either unfamiliar with the program or having no opinion.
Insure Oklahoma underwrites the costs of private health insurance for some 30,000 working poor Oklahomans. It is funded with federal Medicaid money, state tobacco tax revenue and others contributions.
Federal officials have canceled participation after Dec. 31, leading the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to plan for its closing. About 21,000 of the program's participants will be eligible for federal subsidies through a health insurance exchange starting Jan. 1.
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About the Poll
SoonerPoll.com conducted the random-sample, scientific survey from May 22 through June 12, using live telephone interviewers. Of the 402 respondents who participated, 108 were contacted by cell phone and 295 by land line. The combined results have been weighted to adjust for variation in the sample relating to age, sex and political party. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. For smaller subgroups, the margin of sampling error is larger.
This poll conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. A complete description of the methodology can be found here.
