The Patient Protection and Affordable Care (PPACA) passed March 23, 2010 and generally known as "ObamaCare" is overwhelmingly opposed in Oklahoma yet Wednesday February 22, the Oklahoma Joint Legislative Committee on Federal Health Care Law issued its’ "Final Report" recommending the establishment of a state-based insurance exchange and the creation of a public-beneficiary trust as administrator. Multiple grassroots are opposing this recommendation including OK-SAFE, Inc., Tulsa912 Project, and ROPE which issued an oppositional press release today.
Oklahomans overwhelmingly object to the implementation of ObamaCare in its’ entirety, including the development of exchanges the press release states and highlights the recommendations in the report that align the State of Oklahoma
with the provisions of ObamaCare that are contrary to campaign
promises, and recent public statements by state officials.
The release states, "The citizens of Oklahoma believed the lawsuit filed by A.G. Scott Pruitt against ObamaCare was a real reflection of the intent of Oklahoma’s leadership and that Oklahoma would not adopt this governmental overreach. The majority of the recently elected Republican officials campaigned on a platform against ObamaCare."
"Mentioned 278 times in the PPACA law, the exchanges are the defining component in planning and implementing the law-without the exchanges there is no ObamaCare," the press release states.
Committee chair Rep. Glenn Mulready is quoted, "There is no doubt that a state-based exchange falls under the umbrella of federal law."
The Cato Institute and the Heartland Institute, in addition to numerous grassroots organizations, have testified to the legislature that the strongest position for a state to take, if they really oppose ObamaCare, is to not establish a state-based exchange, or yet another trust.
The grassroots organizations of Oklahoma reject the Final Report and the establishment of either a state-based exchange or another trust. Trusts, unknown to most Oklahomans, can solicit and receive federal grants, and operate without legislative oversight. The trust mechanism is providing political cover for those who wish to look like they’re opposing ObamaCare while actually establishing the means still implement it.
SB 1629 by Senator Brian Bingman is to be heard Monday, Feb. 27, 2012. This bill establishes a Health Insurance Private Marketplace Network Trust.
The groups formed to oppose SB 1629, which they assert is a re-hash of last year’s controversial HB 2130 "HUB" bill passed in the House, but not heard in the Senate include; OK-SAFE, Inc., Tulsa912 Project, ROPE, and "other grassroots groups" not listed.