Healthcare

in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1334: Public retirement systems; insurance benefits; monthly premium amount; effective date.

HB 1334 modifies how Oklahoma public retirement systems pay for health insurance premiums for retired non-education employees. It sets a new monthly contribution limit of $105 or $210 (depending on the retirement system) toward health insurance premiums, whichever is less than the actual premium cost. This applies to retirees from the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, Law Enforcement Retirement System, and Uniform Retirement System for Justices and Judges who are receiving benefits. The change affects retirees who continue health coverage after retirement, requiring them to cover any premium costs exceeding the system's contribution. The bill replaces previous payment structures and takes effect on the bill's effective date.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill caps retirement systems' health insurance premium contributions ($105/$210 max), restricting coverage for retirees by requiring them to cover costs exceeding this limit.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

Track

in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1343: Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; duties; powers; responsibilities; State Department of Corrections; real and personal property; effective date; emergency.

HB 1343 abolishes Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and transfers all its duties, powers, responsibilities, property (including records, funds, and equipment), and assets to the State Department of Corrections. This bill directly affects the mental health department's operations and the corrections department's expanded responsibilities. The transfer takes effect on July 1, 2025, as specified in the bill's effective date. The legislation eliminates the standalone mental health department, consolidating its functions under corrections.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareAbolishes dedicated mental health department, transferring duties to corrections (lacks treatment focus), weakening specialized services per bill's transfer of duties and assets.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Substance Abuse

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 1049: Health care; creating the Wrongful Life Act; prohibiting certain services on a minor; authorizing certain civil actions and damages. Effective date.

SB 1049 prohibits physicians and health care professionals in Oklahoma from providing gender-affirming medical treatments - such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers, or gender transition surgery - to individuals under 18, except when medically necessary (defined as excluding gender transition itself). It also bans parents or guardians from consenting to these treatments for minors. The bill creates civil lawsuits for individuals who received such treatments as minors and claim they lost natural reproductive capacity, allowing lawsuits with no statute of limitations and a rebuttable presumption about fertility. Plaintiffs may seek compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees, while parents/guardians who consented could face child abuse charges under certain circumstances. The law directly affects minors, health care providers, and parents/guardians in Oklahoma.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareProhibits gender-affirming medical treatments (hormone therapy, puberty blockers, surgery) for minors under 18, restricting access to specific healthcare services and banning parental consent.95% confidence

Track

passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 2087: Revenue and taxation; income tax credit; research institutes; effective date.

HB 2087 modifies Oklahoma's income tax credit for donations to qualified research institutes. It adjusts annual funding caps: for biomedical research institutes, the limit drops from $2 million to $1.5 million per year starting in 2026, while cancer research institute credits are capped at $500,000 annually. The credit percentage for each donation type is recalculated yearly based on prior-year claims, using specific formulas to stay within these new limits. Taxpayers donating to qualifying nonprofit biomedical or cancer research institutes (defined by NIH funding requirements) can claim the credit, with individual limits of $1,000-$25,000 depending on filing status or business type.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesReduces annual tax credit caps for research institutes, restricting tax benefits and limiting government spending on these credits.95% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareReduces funding caps for biomedical/cancer research institutes, limiting tax credit support for healthcare research through lower annual donation limits.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax Tax Credits

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 665: Freedom of conscience; creating the Medical Ethics Defense Act; granting certain rights and protections to certain medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, or healthcare payers. Effective date.

SB 665, the "Medical Ethics Defense Act," protects medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, and payers from discrimination when refusing to provide services based on conscience. It grants the right to decline any medical procedure or service (including abortion, as referenced in the title) that conflicts with their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs. The bill prohibits adverse actions like termination, loss of licensure, or denial of contracts for such refusals, while explicitly stating this protection does not override duties to provide other non-conflicting care. It applies broadly to all healthcare workers - from doctors and nurses to pharmacists and researchers - and defines "discrimination" to include any retaliatory penalty tied to conscience-based decisions.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill protects providers refusing services (including abortion) based on conscience, directly limiting patient access to healthcare options like abortion services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medical Licensing Women's Health

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 771: Advertising; prohibiting certain direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies; creating felony offense. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 771 prohibits Oklahoma pharmaceutical companies from advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers through any medium (TV, digital, print, social media, etc.). Violating this ban would be a felony punishable by up to $500,000 in fines or five years in prison per offense. The bill includes exceptions for doctor-patient educational materials, public health campaigns, clinical trial promotions, and insurance coverage information - provided they don’t promote specific drugs. It takes effect July 1, 2025, and aims to align Oklahoma with global norms that restrict such advertising.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRestricts pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising, a healthcare industry practice, aligning with 'oppose' as it limits marketing influencing healthcare decisions.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance Public Health

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 19, 2026

SB 884: Abortion; creating the Oklahoma Right to Life Act; prohibiting certain acts; imposing certain duty on health care providers; providing certain penalty and immunities. Emergency.

SB 884, the "Oklahoma Right to Life Act," bans nearly all abortions in Oklahoma by prohibiting anyone from performing, attempting, or aiding in an abortion. It defines "abortion" broadly as any action to terminate a pregnancy (except for specific cases like preserving the life of the unborn person after live birth or removing a dead unborn person from a miscarriage or trauma), and defines "unborn person" as beginning at conception. The law imposes criminal penalties, including first-degree murder charges for violations, though it requires health care providers to attempt a live birth during life-threatening medical emergencies involving the pregnant person. It explicitly excludes contraceptives used before pregnancy is detectable. The bill is classified as an emergency measure.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBans nearly all abortions, restricting access to reproductive healthcare services which are part of healthcare policy.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Women's Health

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 4, 2025

SB 883: Abortion; prohibiting certain acts involving abortion-inducing drugs; providing administrative and criminal penalties. Emergency.

SB 883 prohibits providing abortion-inducing drugs (like mifepristone or misoprostol) with the intent to terminate a pregnancy in Oklahoma, directly affecting healthcare providers and anyone distributing such drugs. It defines "abortion-inducing drugs" as medicines prescribed specifically to cause abortion, excluding those used for other medical purposes. Violators face felony charges and potential revocation of medical licenses, while existing related statutes (63 O.S. Sections 1-729a through 1-757.16) are repealed. The bill declares an emergency, making it effective immediately upon passage.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareProhibits abortion-inducing drugs, restricts provider access to abortion care, and imposes felony penalties - directly limiting a healthcare service.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Women's Health

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1750: Medical marijuana; pregnant women; term; effective date.

HB 1750 prohibits pregnant women who hold a valid Oklahoma medical marijuana patient license from intentionally using marijuana while knowingly pregnant. The bill directly affects licensed medical marijuana patients who are pregnant, making such intentional use unlawful under Oklahoma law. It defines "marijuana" using existing statutory language and specifies that the prohibition takes effect on November 1, 2025. The law does not change eligibility for medical marijuana licenses but restricts use during pregnancy for those already licensed.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRestricts medical marijuana use for pregnant women, limiting patient access to a healthcare service without expanding coverage or funding.95% confidence

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signed · Oklahoma · House May 19, 2025

HB 2052: Health insurance; exemption of certain domestic health maintenance organizations from certain provisions of the Health Maintenance Organizations Act; effective date.

HB 2052 exempts certain domestic health maintenance organizations (HMOs) that exclusively contract with Oklahoma's Medicaid program (via the Oklahoma Health Care Authority) from most state health insurance regulations. These HMOs, which serve only Medicaid recipients and no other patients, are no longer subject to specific provisions of the Health Maintenance Organizations Act, including requirements about benefit coverage and certain administrative rules. The exemption applies solely to services provided to Medicaid recipients under Oklahoma Statutes Title 56, Section 4002.2. The law became effective November 1, 2025, after passing without the Governor's signature.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareExempts Medicaid-only HMOs from benefit coverage requirements, reducing regulatory oversight for services to vulnerable patients.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance Medicaid