Healthcare

The United States spends more per capita on medical care than any other industrialized nation. We spend 2 and ½ times more than Great Britain, 44% more than Switzerland, the next largest country in terms of per capita health expenditures -- all for roughly the same services. And in spite of these record expenditures we rank 19th or 20th in overall health. We die younger and we are sicker here than in our peer countries. More of us live every day with at least one, and for tens of millions of Americans, more than one severe chronic illness. The leading causes of death – heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and diabetes – take the lives of more than 1 million Americans each year.

Health insurance costs are skyrocketing. This year employers report a 16% increase in insurance premiums, the 4th year in a row of double digit increases and the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Since 2001, the share of the employee’s premium has likewise burgeoned, up 50%. In Oklahoma, the crisis is even worse. The Daily Oklahoman reports that HMO rates for the privately insured will rise 26%, ten percentage points higher than the national average. Inflation factors in our State include a drop in the number of carriers, new more expensive technology and medical care, an under-funded public health system, and an uninsurance rate placing Oklahoma well above national averages.

My Record

As a state senator, I have worked hard to help turn the tide. I sponsored legislation to provide health insurance for all kids, which became law in 2007.

I also carried legislation to expand "Insure Oklahoma" -- the premium assistance program for small business -- up to 250 employees. In effect, Insure Oklahoma is a voucher program that allows income eligible employees to purchase health insurance on the private market through their employer or, if that option is not available, directly from the state.

I have also worked to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate for doctors and hospitals to reduce the loss from uncompensated care that is increasing health care costs for everyone. And I am very proud to be the author of a statewide hospital charity care policy that became law, requiring hospitals to provide discounted care to the uninsured who have incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level.

In the words of Charles Mayo, "it is a poor government that does not realize that the prolonged life, health, and happiness of its people are its greatest asset."