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In today’s Memo:
Audits on hold: More than three dozen special audits of Oklahoma towns, school districts, and state agencies remain unreleased as the State Auditor’s office cites staffing cuts, flat funding, and a surge in requests since 2020. (Oklahoma Voice)
Care gaps remain: Even as Oklahoma’s uninsured rate declines, Tulsa-area hospitals are still absorbing millions in unpaid care each year, with nonprofits stepping in to keep uninsured patients out of emergency rooms. (Tulsa Flyer)
TOP STORY:
Funding, staffing cuts hamper release of special Oklahoma audits
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd reviews numbers during a Friday meeting of the Board of Equalization at the Capitol. (PHOTO by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice)
By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY – A number of high-profile audits have yet to be released by the State Auditor and Inspectors office.
Audits into local towns and school districts and the state’s departments of education, tourism and recreation, and turnpikes are among over three dozen forensic examinations that have been requested and have yet to be made public, according to records released by the State Auditor and Inspector’s Office.
All the audits have been requested after 2020 except four. Three of those audits, involving the City of Henryetta and the towns of Calvin and Fort Towson, are in the final review phase, the records show.
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd said short staffing, a lack of funds and other factors, some outside of her control, impact when an audit is completed and released.
The office’s manpower has been slashed by 25% even as the demand for investigative audits has doubled in the last decade, said Andrew Speno, a Byrd spokesman.
In 2026, the agency had a $5.4 million appropriation, down from $6.3 million in 2002, according to information provided by the agency.
The special audits are in addition to the 365 annual audits the office is required to conduct, Byrd said.
She said she has to prioritize special audits where there is suspected wrongdoing.
As Oklahoma’s uninsured population drops, care still costs Tulsa-area hospitals millions
Registered nurse Rebecca Jaeger, right, talks with a patient at a Good Samaritan Health Services walk-in clinic on Dec. 16, 2025. (PHOTO: Payton Little for Tulsa Flyer)
By Raynee Howell, Tulsa Flyer
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Debra Berk tells this story: A young mother with three small children walked into a Good Samaritan Health Services women’s clinic in the Tulsa area. She had no health insurance. And she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The woman is one of more than 400,000 uninsured Oklahomans, and Good Samaritan took on the costs of her treatment. Berk, the organization’s chief operating officer, said she has plenty of stories just like this.
Services at Good Samaritan are designed to head off medical expenses before an uninsured patient goes to a hospital and the hospital has to absorb the cost of emergency services under federal law. The nonprofit tracks how many patients it keeps out of the emergency room.
“So we figure we save hospitals a couple of million dollars a year, just based on the numbers that we track,” Berk said. “But we also have no idea how many people would be forced to go to the emergency room if they didn’t come to us because they have no access to care.”
Although these programs are invaluable to a state with a high uninsured population and limited access to care, the demand for medical services outstrips the supply of funds. As a result, thousands of uninsured Oklahomans receive emergency care each year without paying.
In turn, local hospitals lose millions of dollars from providing services they would normally charge for.
Quick national links:
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
Trump and Zelenskyy project optimism about prospects for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal despite 'thorny issues' (NBC News)
2 helicopters collide in New Jersey; 1 person dead, another critically injured, say officials (ABC News)
Texas teen missing since Christmas Eve believed to be in 'imminent danger': Sheriff (ABC News)
The most exciting primaries to watch in 2026 (The Hill)
Brigitte Bardot, French screen legend, dies aged 91 (The Guardian)
The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
• Former Deathrow inmate Richard Glossip returns to court with new judge presiding (News On 6)
• Father refuses to give up hope 21 years after son's disappearance in Tahlequah (2 News Oklahoma)
• Early bills aim at child literacy, abortion drugs and bot-assisted ticket scalping (Tulsa World)*
• New medical marijuana law goes into effect in the new year (2 News Oklahoma)
• 'Everyone's scared.' How Trump's focus on immigration affects Oklahoma (The Oklahoman)*
• OSBI: Man armed with a gun shot by Garvin County deputies (KOCO)
• 1 arrested after Perry man killed in shooting (News 9)
• Game wardens investigating illegal dumping of deceased ducks (Kay News Cow)
• Driver killed in Cherokee County single-vehicle crash (News On 6)
• Classen bike lane debate stirs passions on both sides of a big OKC road (NonDoc)
• OKC, Tulsa offer free Christmas tree mulching (and free mulch) for residents (KOSU)
• The Pizza Palace announces closure after 14 years (KFOR)
• Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder get back on track routing Philadelphia 76ers (The Oklahoman)*
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