Oklahoma Families for Affordable Health Care

09/29/2026

Healthcare affordability leadership isn't always about sponsoring a bill.

Our Healthcare Affordability and Access Champion Award recognizes legislators who demonstrated a commitment to understanding and promoting healthcare affordability and access.

Champions asked questions, encouraged thoughtful discussion, supported transparency, engaged with healthcare stakeholders, and helped advance informed, data-driven policymaking.

Know someone who deserves to be recognized?

🥈 Nominate an Oklahoma legislator by October 30.

👉 Learn more about the awards: https://www.okfahc.com/post/okfahc-launches-first-ever-healthcare-affordability-and-access-policymaker-of-the-year-awards

09/28/2026

More competition can mean lower drug prices.

Patients for Affordable Drugs explains how practices such as patent thickets, pay-for-delay agreements and product hopping can delay lower-cost generic and biosimilar alternatives from reaching patients.

Competition matters. Research cited by the organization indicates that when six or more generic competitors enter a market, prices can fall by as much as 95%.

Oklahoma families deserve access to affordable medications—and a prescription drug marketplace where competition can work.

📖 Read more:

The U.S. patent system was designed to spur and reward innovation in the public interest by granting inventors exclusive rights to sell their new products for a limited time, typically 20 years. With regard to medicines, this exclusivity period allows big drug companies to recover their research and...

09/25/2026

Healthcare affordability doesn't just affect the people who have insurance.

Oklahoma has one of the nation's highest uninsured rates, with 11.7% of Oklahomans lacking health coverage.

Oklahoma hospitals also provide more than $740 million in uncompensated care each year—costs that don't simply disappear. They can ultimately be shifted to insurers, employers and others who pay for healthcare.

Understanding the connection between access, coverage and healthcare costs is critical as Oklahoma works to make healthcare more affordable.

📖 Read more from the Oklahoma Hospital Association:

09/22/2026

Why recognize legislators for their work on healthcare affordability?

Because healthcare policy decisions can have real consequences for:

👨‍👩‍👧 Oklahoma families
🏢 Employers
💳 Consumers
🏥 Patients
💰 Taxpayers

We want to recognize policymakers who take the time to consider how legislation can affect the cost of care, access to services, and choices available to Oklahomans.

Help us recognize those who are asking the tough questions.

Nominations are open through October 30.

👉 Nominate a policymaker: https://www.okfahc.com/post/okfahc-launches-first-ever-healthcare-affordability-and-access-policymaker-of-the-year-awards

09/18/2026

Healthcare costs aren't slowing down.

Aon projects healthcare costs for employers will increase 9.5% in 2027—the second consecutive year of increases at that level.

And the drivers are changing. Utilization and the types of care being used now account for 60% of healthcare cost growth, compared with just 25% historically.

For Oklahoma families and employers, understanding what's driving costs is critical to finding solutions that improve affordability without sacrificing access or choice.

📖 Read more from Aon:

While the current environment is challenging, there are new options and strategies to contain costs and support employees.

09/15/2026

What does healthcare affordability leadership look like?

Our Healthcare Affordability and Access Leadership Award recognizes legislators who took meaningful action to advance healthcare affordability and access while helping prevent policies that could unnecessarily increase costs or limit choices for Oklahoma consumers.

Do you know an Oklahoma legislator who demonstrated that kind of leadership during the 2026 legislative session?

🏆 Nominate them by October 30.

👉 Submit a nomination: https://www.okfahc.com/post/okfahc-launches-first-ever-healthcare-affordability-and-access-policymaker-of-the-year-awards

For the first time in its history, Oklahoma Families for Affordable Healthcare (OKFAHC) will honor state legislators whose efforts during the 2026 legislative session helped protect Oklahoma consumers from rising healthcare costs.OKFAHC's new Healthcare Affordability and Access Policymaker of the Ye...

09/11/2026

🇺🇸 On September 11, we remember the lives lost and honor the courage of those who ran toward danger to help others.

We are especially grateful for the healthcare workers, first responders, and caregivers who answered the call that day—and for those who continue to care for others in moments of crisis every day.

We remember. We honor. We will never forget.

09/09/2026

Oklahomans should expect health insurance costs to rise.

A new report from Oklahoma Voice examines the factors behind rising health insurance costs in Oklahoma, including the potential for double-digit premium increases for state employees and other public-sector workers.

Healthcare affordability affects all of us—families, employers, taxpayers and the healthcare system itself.

As costs continue to climb, it's more important than ever to understand what's driving those increases and carefully consider the impact of healthcare policy decisions.

📖 Read the full story from Oklahoma Voice:
https://oklahomavoice.com/2026/08/10/experts-warn-oklahomans-should-expect-health-insurance-costs-to-spike/

As Oklahoma’s state employees face potential double-digit hikes in health insurance premiums, experts are warning that all Oklahomans should brace for a similar shock this year.

09/08/2026

Why do some prescription drugs stay expensive even after the original patent?

A new analysis from Legis1 examines how “patent thickets”—layers of overlapping patents surrounding brand-name drugs—can delay generic competition and keep prices higher for patients.

A peer-reviewed study cited in the article analyzed more than 7.5 million patent applications and found that the average number of patents per active pharmaceutical ingredient nearly tripled between 2001 and 2019.

Competition matters. When affordable generic alternatives are delayed, Oklahoma families, employers and taxpayers can ultimately pay more for prescription drugs.

📖 Read the full article:

Study reveals how brand-name drug makers use patent strategies to raise prices. Learn how this legal tactic affects millions of Americans struggling with...

09/07/2026

🇺🇸 This Labor Day, we’re grateful for the hardworking Oklahomans who strengthen our families, businesses, and communities every day. And to the healthcare workers and caregivers who dedicate themselves to caring for others, thank you for all that you do.

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy Labor Day!