Cuts Could Create Backlash

As Oklahoma’s budget crisis grows larger, mental health advocates are warning of a potential backlash because of program cuts.

Karina Forrest, a former director of the Oklahoma chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, argues the state pays “dearly” for people who go untreated. Forrest, posting on Blue Oklahoma, writes:

Mental Illness and addiction strikes one in five individuals in our state. We pay dearly for individuals left untreated. In addition to many other examples, our tax dollars fund Medicaid for emergency room visits, the Department of Corrections if these individuals end up in the criminal justice system, the foster care system if these illnesses separate parents from their children, and most importantly, in loss of life and quality of life for our state's citizens.

Her insightful comments came at the same time state officials announced that state agencies would have to endure 10 percent cuts in their budgets this month because of declining revenues. State Treasurer Scott Meacham reported November revenues were down $139 million. That’s 25.1 percent below estimates and 30 percent lower than last year. Meacham said agencies might face 10 percent cuts next month as well.

In response to earlier budget cuts, the state announced it will close the Norman Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center. Other cuts were also announced by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health. Given the most recent budget news, more major cuts will likely be proposed soon.

Jeff Tallent, a co-founder of Oklahoma Federation of Families, recently wrote in The Oklahoman:

Health care for people with mental illness or disabilities is one of those life-or-death issues. The consequence of waiting to act on mental health services is not inconvenience; it is potential productivity dissipated and lives lost.

Public education, which has also seen a decline in revenues from a dedicated funding source, is also facing dramatic cuts.

It’s a bleak picture, and Oklahoma leaders could be making a wrong, long-term decision by not considering small tax hikes or even temporary surcharges on the state’s wealthiest citizens to keep vital programs available. Even when the state finally dips in the Rainy Day Fund, budget cuts will be needed. Recent income tax cuts that primarily benefited the state’s richest citizens are at least partially responsible for the budget crisis.

The cost to the state in terms of human suffering, poor educational outcomes and higher incarceration rates down the road will be enormous unless the economy recovers quickly. It could have a cyclical effect, creating more budget demands and stress. Most everyone laments the steep drop in revenues, but few major state leaders have stepped forward to specifically and urgently address the long-term damage the budget crisis could inflict on Oklahoma. It’s the political, not the fiscal, reality driving the current discussion about the budget crisis. How bad must it get before Oklahoma’s Republican-dominated legislature finds ways to increase revenues?