'Yes on 802' Medicaid expansion looking for election date from Gov. Stitt

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — With health care in the spotlight, more attention is being paid to the "Yes on 802" initiative for Medicaid expansion.

Supporters say it will help upward of 200,000 Oklahomans get access to health care.

The campaign signs out in front of a midtown home let people know they were at the right place, a supporters of Yes on 802 meeting.

"We’re all enthusiastic and want to make a difference," said Amanda Blackman.

Medicaid expansion has been embraced by 36 other states, and the 802 initiative is hoping to make Oklahoma 37 by making it part of the state constitution.

"We broke the record for the number of signatures ever collected for an initiative petition," said campaign manager Amber England.

"Health care is a huge initiative for me this year," said Gov. Kevin Stitt, promoting his own plan, SoonerCare 2.0, which would not be amended in the Constitution.

"The reason I don’t think that we want this in our constitution is because it gives us no flexibility; there’s no ability for the legislature to ever change or maneuver," he said.

"We’re just concerned that this is just merely a, just a stall tactic," said England.

The governor says his plan would charge small premiums and require a yearly wellness check and help out the same number of people as 802.

"The whole key is health outcomes, and if I lock it into the Constitution, I don’t have any flexibility to design the Oklahoma plan," he said.

"Today, we released a poll that shows that 71% of Oklahomans would oppose any plan that came from elected officials; they just wouldn’t trust it. They trust that 802 is the plan that will deliver the care that they need," said England.

The only thing 802 supporters want from the governor is for him to pick a date for people to vote.

"We really are hoping that the governor would just set an election date and let the people decide," said England.

The ongoing politics of health care, with patience wearing thin given the current crisis.

"We need to make sure we get healthy especially as we face the potential for the coronavirus to end up here. I’m sorry, we have no room to be maneuvering to assist in some kind of block grant thing, let’s just go direct and get this accomplished," said Blackman.

The governor says he expects to put it on the ballot either sometime this summer or in the fall.