New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recently sought a waiver from the federal government to trim his state’s Medicaid eligibility in order to save more than $300 million in program expenditures for taxpayers, while Rhode Island’s “global waiver” has dramatically reduced Medicaid spending in that state. Now it’s Oklahoma’s turn. Since 2000, Oklahoma’s share of Medicaid expenditures have grown 169 percent, far more than spending on any other state program. Not only is maintaining the status quo unsustainable, but new research by OCPA projects the Medicaid expansion required under Obamacare, which takes effect in 2014, will increase our state’s Medicaid enrollment to 36 percent of the population by 2023 and will add approximately $11.4 billion in state program expenditures during the first 10 years (2014-23) after the law is implemented.

Now is the time for bold leadership from our state leaders and Congressional delegation.