Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/category/publichealth/)
An Oklahoma Watch review of court records since 2016 found that dozens of hospitals across the state have filed at least 22,250 lawsuits against their former patients over unpaid medical bills. In many of those cases, the hospitals have garnished wages to collect anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000.
Cheaper, stripped-down health plans could soon see a resurgence in Oklahoma, potentially reducing the number of uninsured while leaving policyholders with unexpected medical bills.
Vaccination has become a dirty word at the Oklahoma Capitol. As Oklahoma joins 25 other states in the worst measles outbreak in a generation, vaccination policies have become so politically toxic that few lawmakers want to take a recorded vote on the issue.
Vaccines flared briefly as an issue in the 2018 gubernatorial campaign when a news outlet discovered an online video in which then-candidate Kevin Stitt said not all of his children were vaccinated. Stitt later dismissed the report, saying his and Sarah Stitt’s six children, who attended a school with high vaccine-exemption rates, had received various vaccines.
The resurgence of measles and spread of drug-resistant germs were the focus of this Oklahoma Watch-Out public forum. Among other things, the discussion covered the controversies surrounding vaccines and hospital efforts to control contagious diseases.
Many Oklahoma schools report required vaccination rates for kindergarteners at 95% or above, according to a 2017-18 survey. But some schools have rates well below 80% and rates of vaccination exemptions above 10% or even 20%. Find out the rates for your school and county.
The state this week confirmed its first measles case of the year, which occurred as the nation is experiencing its largest number of measles cases in a quarter century. Here are answers to some common questions about the measles outbreaks, the first confirmed Oklahoma case and the state’s vaccination policies.
The resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases and spread of drug-resistant germs will be the main topics of a public forum in Oklahoma City on May 21.
Two Oklahoma health care facilities are among those in 12 states that treated patients with a potentially lethal multidrug-resistant fungus that is emerging as a serious global public health threat.
Nearly eight years into addiction recovery, Nicole Zoellner is still paying off $180,000 in gambling debt.
Oklahoma has the nation’s second highest percentage of people without health insurance. Like Tim Cundiff of Stillwater, the uninsured risk financial ruin from a medical calamity.
