In 2000, the infant mortality rate was 8.5 per 1,000 live births, higher than the national rate of 6.9. In 1998, there were 6,769 legal abortions performed in Oklahoma, a ratio of 10 per 1,000 women. The overall death rate for 2000was one of the highest in the US at 1,037.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, well above the national rate of 873.1. The leading causes of death in Oklahoma in 2000 (with their death rates per 100,000 population) were heart disease, 334.2; cancer, 219.0; accidents, 46.3; and cerebrovascular disease, 73.8. The HIV mortality rate was 3.3 per 100,000. A total of 4,030 AIDS cases had been reported in Oklahoma through 2001. Among adults ages 18 and older, 23.3% were smokers in 2000, equal with the median US rate of 23.3% .
Oklahoma's 108 community hospitals had 434,831 admissions and 11,207 beds in 2001. There were 10,264 full-time registered nurses and 2,807 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and only 184 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $1,075.80 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $1.6 billion; 510,582 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 18.3% of Oklahoma's residents were uninsured in 2002.