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Maybe we don’t have to be so 'bold' after all
May 31, 2011
By a 52 to 12 split, Oklahomans consider themselves "conservative" rather than "liberal."
If that is the case, shouldn't Oklahoma's legislative leaders and governor be pursuing much more aggressively conservative health policies? Oklahomans don't like Obamacare ─ even going so far as to pass a Constitutional amendment last November to prevent the law from being implemented here ─ and our leaders have responded by rejecting federal dollars to implement Obamacare health insurance exchanges and by filing a federal lawsuit seeking to overturn the law.
But Oklahomans don't like expanded government either, so why do legislative policies in Oklahoma bend toward expanding welfare programs like Medicaid?
It's time for Oklahoma's leaders to do what they were elected to do: represent the values of their constituents. Oklahoma desparately needs Medicaid reform. In the past, I've implored legislative leaders to be bold to implement real cost restraining Medicaid reforms, but how bold do you have to be when almost everyone supports you?