Healthcare option rejected

Photo by: Will Gentry

 

Mary Fallin, Oklahoma’s governor, recently rejected the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which is formally known as Obamacare; consequently the state of Oklahoma will not participate in the Medicaid expansion.

Fallin refused the Obamacare because the majority of Oklahomans who voted did not approve of the Obama Administration and the new Obamacare regulations.

“This choice has been forced on the people of Oklahoma by the Obama Administration in spite of the fact that voters have overwhelmingly expressed their opposition to the federal health care law through their support of State Question 756, a constitutional amendment prohibiting the implementation of key components of PPACA,” Fallin said in her original statement on the rejection of Obamacare.

All of her original reasons were confirmed when the state government released a series of emails between Governor Fallin and health care officials.

In an article by Michael Bates, Fallin said that after working for many months with lawmakers, stakeholders and health care experts from across the nation to determine the best action for the state of Oklahoma, she decided it would be in Oklahoma’s best interest not to be involved with Obamacare, which she believes would only increase the nation’s debt.

“As I have stated many times before, it is my firm belief that PPACA fails to further these goals, and will in fact decrease the quality of health care across the United States while contributing to the nation’s growing deficit crises,” Fallin said.

Fallin, who is Oklahoma’s first female governor, states that she does not believe how Oklahoma’s taxpayers’ money can possibly benefit Oklahomans if it is under the federal government’s ultimate control.

“It does not benefit Oklahoma taxpayers to actively support and fund a new government program that will ultimately be under the control of the federal government, that is opposed by a clear majority of Oklahomans and that will further the implementation of a law that threatens to erode both the quality of American health care and the fiscal stability of the nation,” Fallin said.

Oklahoma Christian University senior Joshua Richardson has personally worked in Mary Fallin’s office as a public relations intern. He fully believes and supports Fallin’s decision to reject Obamacare.

“I wasn’t surprised by Fallin’s rejections of ObamaCare. She’s governor of one of the reddest states in the U.S., and she has always had parallel views and policies that have differed from Obama’s,” Richardson said.

For some people, Fallin’s rejection of the Obamacare has caused some controversies amongst Oklahomans, especially concerning Oklahomans who are not insured.

“It also means the state will skip an opportunity to help some 693,000 uninsured Oklahomans, 18.7 percent of the state population, get coverage through the federal government,” said Wayne Greene, senior writer for the Tulsa World.

Oklahoma Representative Scott Inman believes that the Governor is playing with the lives of thousands of Oklahomans according to a recent interview with Tulsa World.

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of uninsured Oklahomans and the businesses, doctors and hospitals who provide for millions of dollars worth of uncompensated care, the House Democratic caucus is deeply disappointed,” said Inman.

It is not only the Governor who stands firmly in her belief that Obamacare would not benefit majority of Oklahomans; Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman also supported her decision said on News Talk Radio.

“Oklahomans simply do not want anything to do with Obamacare, and Senate Republicans stand firmly with Governor Fallin in rejecting it,” said Bingman.

Another supporter, Speaker of the House-elect T.W. Shannon, stood firm with Fallin’s decision not to support the Obama Administration and the federal government’s health policies in an interview with Tulsa World.

“Oklahoma has drawn a line in the sand, and I am proud to stand with Gov. Fallin and our citizens to continue leading the fight against a federal government that increasingly overreaches and tramples the rights of individuals and the states,” Shannon said.

It is not only State representative who feels that the federal government forces states to make tough decisions that may not be in that state’s best interest.

“The Obama Administration has forced many decisions on the American people in recent years, and honestly Obamacare was rejected by over half the population of the state of Oklahoma,” said Richardson.

One of the major concerns with Obamacare is the increase in national debt it will thrust upon the nation, which could make it nearly impossible to clear the already accumulating present debt.

“National debt terrifies people, and I think everyone would like to see the government planning a little less lavishly and saving a little more to ensure a safe survival of our lifestyles for future generations,” said Richardson.