OKPOLICY.ORG
Oklahoma Policy Institute released the following statement in response to Governor Fallin’s call to continue Insure Oklahoma with state-only dollars:
It should be of grave concern to Oklahomans that Governor Fallin is proposing to use $50 million in state-only dollars to cover fewer than 10,000 people when we have the opportunity to access federal funds to cover some 150,000 people at little or no state expense. Oklahoma taxpayers and uninsured Oklahomans would be left to suffer to make a political point that the Governor is unwilling to cooperate with the Affordable Care Act.
While the federal government has indicated that Oklahoma must make changes to the Insure Oklahoma program to continue past 2013, it has also emphasized its willingness to work with the state to explore various options, including using the Insure Oklahoma model to purchase private insurance with federal dollars. The Governor’s proposal flies in the face of a preliminary report by the Leavitt Partners, which she requested and contracted with $500,000 taxpayer dollars, that recommends using federal funds to expand health insurance coverage while working to extend Insure Oklahoma beyond this year.
The Legislature should protect Oklahoma’s financial and health care interests by insisting that we provide quality health insurance to the greatest number of people at the least expense to the state.
