Affordable Healthcare.
More Choices.
Better Outcomes.
Healthcare shouldn’t be a luxury.
No Oklahoman should have to choose between paying their mortgage and filling a prescription, or between taking their child to the doctor and paying the electric bill.
At the same time, healthcare providers deserve to be paid fairly, taxpayers deserve responsible stewardship of public funds, and families should have the freedom to choose the coverage that best fits their needs.
The Farmer Servant Healthcare Plan is built around one simple idea:
Take what already works, fix what doesn’t, and give Oklahomans more affordable choices.
Step 1: Open SoonerCare to Every Oklahoman
Today, SoonerCare (Oklahoma’s Medicaid program) is generally limited to people who meet certain eligibility requirements.
Under the Farmer Servant Healthcare Plan, every Oklahoma resident would have the opportunity to purchase a SoonerCare-style health plan.
This would not mean healthcare becomes free for everyone.
Instead, people would pay premiums based on their income, much like many already do through Marketplace health plans.
This creates another affordable option for families who may struggle with private insurance but do not qualify for traditional Medicaid.
Step 2: Let Every Oklahoman Choose Their Coverage Each Year
Each year, every resident could compare available options and decide what works best for their family.
Choices could include:
- A SoonerCare Public Option
- Employer-sponsored insurance
- Marketplace (ACA) plans
- Private individual coverage
- Faith-based healthcare sharing ministries (where appropriate)
- Medicare (for eligible individuals)
Competition helps improve quality while giving families greater control over their healthcare decisions.
Step 3: Base Premiums on Ability to Pay
Families should contribute based on what they can reasonably afford.
Premiums for the public option would be determined using a sliding scale tied to household income.
Lower-income families would pay less.
Higher-income families would pay more.
The goal is to make healthcare affordable while ensuring everyone contributes fairly.
Step 4: Strengthen the Private Insurance Market
This plan is not designed to eliminate private insurance.
Private insurance companies remain an important part of Oklahoma’s healthcare system.
Instead, the public option creates healthy competition that encourages insurers to improve service, expand networks, and offer more competitive pricing.
When consumers have choices, everyone works harder to earn their business.
Step 5: Reduce the Number of Uninsured Oklahomans
When people delay medical care because they lack insurance, small health problems often become major medical emergencies.
Hospitals absorb billions of dollars in uncompensated care, and those costs are eventually passed on to everyone else through higher premiums and higher medical costs.
By expanding affordable coverage options, Oklahoma can:
- Reduce emergency room overuse
- Increase preventive care
- Improve health outcomes
- Lower uncompensated care costs
- Create a healthier workforce
Step 6: Support Rural Hospitals and Healthcare Providers
Many rural hospitals operate on thin financial margins.
When more patients have insurance coverage, providers are more likely to be paid for the care they deliver.
This helps stabilize:
- Rural hospitals
- Community clinics
- Independent physicians
- Ambulance services
- Mental health providers
Healthy hospitals help create healthy communities.
Step 7: Expand Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
Mental health deserves the same attention as physical health.
The plan supports expanded access to:
- Counseling
- Crisis intervention
- Substance use treatment
- Recovery services
- Suicide prevention
- School-based mental health programs
- Veteran mental health services
Early treatment saves lives, strengthens families, and often reduces costs elsewhere in the system.
Step 8: Increase Transparency in Healthcare Costs
Patients deserve to understand what healthcare will cost before receiving treatment whenever possible.
The Farmer Servant Healthcare Plan supports greater transparency in:
- Hospital pricing
- Common medical procedures
- Prescription drug costs
- Insurance benefits
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Better information helps families make informed decisions.
Step 9: Improve Preventive Care
Healthcare works best when we prevent disease rather than simply treat it.
The plan encourages:
- Annual wellness visits
- Vaccinations consistent with patient choice and medical guidance
- Cancer screenings
- Diabetes management
- Heart disease prevention
- Nutrition education
- Exercise and wellness programs
Healthy communities lower healthcare costs over time.
Step 10: Modernize Oklahoma’s Healthcare System
Technology should make healthcare easier—not more frustrating.
The plan supports improvements in:
- Telehealth
- Secure digital records
- Rural healthcare access
- Care coordination
- Administrative efficiency
- Patient communication
Technology should improve patient care while reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
Step 11: Protect Patient Choice
Healthcare decisions belong primarily between patients and their healthcare providers.
Government should create fair rules, protect consumers, and ensure accountability—but whenever possible, personal medical decisions should remain with individuals, their families, and their healthcare professionals.
Step 12: Build a Sustainable Healthcare System
Healthcare reform should be measured by three questions:
- Are more people able to afford quality healthcare?
- Are patients receiving better care?
- Is the system financially sustainable for future generations?
If the answer to all three is yes, then Oklahoma is moving in the right direction.
The Goal
The Farmer Servant Healthcare Plan combines ideas that have already proven successful in different parts of the healthcare system.
It takes the broad accessibility of public programs like Medicare and adapts it into a state-level public option through SoonerCare, while preserving private insurance choices and encouraging competition.
The goal isn’t to replace private healthcare.
The goal is to ensure that every Oklahoman has access to affordable, quality healthcare, while protecting taxpayer dollars, supporting healthcare providers, strengthening rural hospitals, and giving families real choices.
Because healthcare should never be about politics.
It should always be about people.