Editorials
Even as Oklahomans Stand to Lose….
Our Congressmen Still Opposing Health Care Reform
Up to 1.6 million Oklahomans with pre-existing medical conditions could be denied insurance without the health-care reform law, the Obama administration warned Tuesday even as it dismissed Republican efforts to repeal such protections.
Every single member of the Oklahoma congressional delegation were among those who voted yesterday for the largely symbolic measure to repeal the historic health-care reform bill, with some of them pathetically justifying their actions while persisting to use clearly pejorative, insulting and disrespectful use of terms like “Obamacare” to refer to the bill.
What is noteworthy and onerous is that the congressman from Oklahoma, who represents perhaps the poorest of all the state’s congressional districts--and, therefore, represents a constituency that stands to gain mostly from the health-care reform bill--seems to be bending over backwards to vote his and Little Dixie’s thinly-disguised prejudices against President Obama.
Of course, we are referring to U.S. Rep. Dan Boren (Dem., Okla.), whom (considering his background), we might have expected to be providing some true leadership. We might have expected Congressman Boren to be demonstrating that a modicum degree of courage exists somewhere within him; a degree of courage that would allow the congressman and his constituents to step above the bigotry he has almost openly said he has been appealing to since even before Mr. Obama formally cinched the nomination to become the standard-bearer for Congressman Boren’s Democratic Party.
House Republicans kicked off two days of debate on that effort, saying they were making good on a campaign promise to hold a vote on repeal.
Even as their effort headed toward passage, it faces a far different fate in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats remain in control.
President Barack Obama also would be expected to veto a repeal bill if it ever got his desk.
In a statement released by the White House, the president described the benefits that the law, which many view as his legacy, provides for families and businesses.
The president left the door open for changes to improve the current law.
“But we can’t go backward,” he said. “Americans deserve the freedom and security of knowing that insurance companies can’t deny, cap or drop their coverage when they need it the most, while taking meaningful steps to curb runaway health-care costs.”
Asked about the House Republicans’ effort at his press briefing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, “this isn’t a serious legislative effort,” and added even supporters of repeal have acknowledged that.
Still, that did not stop the administration and congressional Democrats from unleashing a campaign against the effort.
“The Affordable Care Act is stopping insurance companies from discriminating against Americans with pre-existing conditions and is giving us all more freedom and control over our health-care decisions,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said as she released one analysis.
Key House Democrats released their own set of figures on each congressional district in the country.
According to those figures, repeal of the current law would increase the number of people without health insurance by 71,000 individuals in Oklahoma’s 1st District, and boost hospital costs for providing uncompensated care by $86 million annually in the 1st District and $95 million annually in the Second District.
“We believe many members, especially newly elected ones, may be surprised by the results,” U.S. Reps. Henry Waxman (Dem., Calif.) and Frank Pallone (Dem., N.J.) said as they provided their analysis to fellow lawmakers.
“Health-care reform is already delivering important health benefits to your constituents.”
Sadly enough, even with that kind of analysis, and even though, clearly, their own constituents are and will continue to benefit from health-care reform, every single member of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation voted against the sweeping health-care legislation, and, as expected, they, unanimously, supported repeal efforts yesterday.
