Gov. Fallin, Commissioner Doak Support Free-Market Based Health Insurance Exchange

Governor Mary Fallin and Insurance Commissioner John Doak today sent the following letter to State Representatives in support of House Bill 2130:

To: Oklahoma State Representatives
From: Governor Mary Fallin and Insurance Commissioner John Doak

Dear Representative,

Gov. Mary Fallin

We would like to make you aware of the extraordinary opportunity Oklahoma has to be a national leader in designing and implementing a conservative, free-market based health insurance exchange.

As you know, the idea of an Oklahoma Health Insurance Exchange is not a new one. In 2009, the legislature passed a bill that authorized the creation of a health insurance exchange portal where consumers could compare and research various private health insurance plans in one online location.

As mentioned in the State of the State address, our goal is to create an insurance exchange where small businesses and individuals can pool their money to expand their purchasing power, increase competition and ultimately reduce costs. Our vision is to protect consumers and guarantee the role of licensed agents and brokers. Therefore, we are asking for your support for HB 2130, which establishes a governance structure for an Oklahoma Exchange.

We believe the creation of this Oklahoma Health Insurance Exchange represents a great opportunity for our state to develop a national model for providing citizens with quality private health insurance. I also believe it represents an important opportunity for conservative policymakers to offer a positive agenda for Oklahoma families.

Insurance Comm. John Doak

The Commissioner and I strongly oppose ObamaCare and will continue to work to have it overturned. We are proud to stand with General Scott Pruitt and his efforts to have this law ruled unconstitutional. This is now our opportunity to stand up for our 10th amendment rights and create an Oklahoma based free-market exchange.

An Oklahoma Health Insurance Exchange would be an online marketplace where costs are reduced, where insurance products could be bought and sold to meet individual needs and where all insurers could compete to promote real choices for consumers. This is the exchange that my administration, the Insurance Commissioner, the Speaker, the Pro Tem, and others are dedicated to creating. We look forward to working with all stakeholders on the legislation to ensure everyone is represented appropriately. We hope you are as excited by this opportunity as we are.