Oklahoma Health Outcomes

• Oklahoma is ranked 46th in overall health
• Every 24 minutes, someone dies in the U.S. due to a lack of health insurance
• 80 percent of Oklahomans who are uninsured are in working families
• Oklahomans without health insurance have difficulty accessing medical, dental, vision, mental health, and preventative care

The Current Situation for the Uninsured

Oklahoma is in a health crisis. 18.4 percent of our population is uninsured or underinsured, ranking our state 43rd in the nation. In Oklahoma County, about 1 in 6 are uninsured or underinsured. Uninsured individuals are less likely to receive preventive care and more likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have been avoided. They receive primary care - if at all - at free clinics or hospital emergency rooms (ERs), all of which are overwhelmed: 53 percent of emergency room visits in 2005 were non-emergency cases.