Funding to protect proposed health care cuts approved

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The state Senate has approved an $18-million funding package designed to avoid health care cuts and furloughs. <br><br>One of the three emergency bills takes $7.2-million from a cash

Tuesday, March 25th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- The state Senate has approved an $18-million funding package designed to avoid health care cuts and furloughs.

One of the three emergency bills takes $7.2-million from a cash fund and gives it to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to keep 139,000 poor Oklahomans from losing Medicaid benefits.

Another measure taps the constitutional Rainy Day Fund for $10.2-million to help reduce the number of furlough days planned for Corrections Department employees.

A third bill appropriates $600,000 to the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, which had been held in contempt of court last year because it didn't have money to represent certain defendants.