Another Consequence of Covid-19

By a narrow margin, Oklahoma voters have approved a change to the state constitution which institute Medicaid expansion.

I'm pretty sure if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic, ti would have gone the other way:

Oklahoma is poised to become the 37th state to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income residents after voters narrowly approved State Question 802 on Tuesday.

………

State Question 802 passed by 6,488 votes, making Oklahoma the fifth state expand Medicaid through a ballot initiative.

The question will enshrine Medicaid expansion in Oklahoma’s constitution — effectively preventing Oklahoma’s GOP-controlled Legislature or Republican governor from limiting or undoing the expansion.

After nearly a decade of waiting on politicians to act, Oklahomans decided on Tuesday to take health care into their own hands, Yes on 802 campaign manager Amber England said in a statement.

"In the middle of a pandemic, Oklahomans stepped up and delivered life-saving care for nearly 200,000 of our neighbors, took action to keep our rural hospitals open, and brought our tax dollars home to protect jobs and boost our local economy," she said.

The campaign for SQ 802 was launched after years of legislative inaction on Medicaid expansion. The Yes on 802 campaign turned in a record number of signatures to qualify the question for the ballot.

Good politics and good policy.