Gambling, losing on health

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July 7, 2012

Gambling, losing on health

Anonymous The Muskogee Phoenix Sat Jul 07, 2012, 10:03 PM CDT

Oklahoma’s leadership placed a $54 million bet on red and let it ride — until we lost.

Gov. Mary Fallin and her administration chose to ignore the law of the land — the Affordable Care Act.

The act, pushed through Congress by a Democratic president, seeks to improve and make health care more accessible to the masses.

It is a plan that many decry, including the leaders in our state.

The plan includes a requirement for states to create an insurance exchange — where individuals and businesses can choose from various types of insurance.

The exchange was supposed to have been created by each state by November.

Many states — including Oklahoma — have not created the exchange.

The federal plan included around $54 million to help create the exchange.

Given the opportunity to comply with the law, state leaders chose to take their ball and go home.

It’s true that many in the state do not like the idea of Obamacare.

Fallin’s administration hoped the Supreme Court would rule that Obamacare was unconstitutional.

Her administration did not create the exchange and may have lost $54 million in federal money to create it.

And worse, if the state does not eventually create the exchange the feds are required to create it for us.

That creates more federal control — exactly the thing Oklahomans do not want.

Now, Fallin’s hope is that enough Republicans can win election in November to repeal the law.

That’s another big gamble.

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Gambling, losing on health

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