John ,

Before the statewide primary election this coming Tuesday, June 30, I wanted to share with you three thoughts on State Question 802, which would lock Obamacare’s costly Medicaid expansion into Oklahoma's state Constitution:

First, SQ 802’s Medicaid expansion could cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $374 million annually, and it's likely our state would have to raise taxes or cut other core services to fund it. Here’s a fact: 12 of the states that passed Medicaid expansions like SQ 802, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Kentucky, have already had to raise taxes or fees on their citizens to pay for it.

Second, here’s another fact: SQ 802’s Medicaid expansion gives the federal government and liberals in Congress like Nancy Pelosi more control of Oklahoma’s health care. Remember when Ms. Pelosi said Congress would have to vote on Obamacare before we could find out what was in it? Well, one of the big things in it was Medicaid expansion. Ms. Pelosi says that when states adopt Medicaid expansion, it is a “powerful rebuke” of President Trump’s efforts to reform Medicaid and prevent the program from becoming unaffordable for taxpayers.

Finally, here’s one more fact: there’s absolutely zero guarantee SQ 802 would save our state’s struggling rural hospitals. In fact, 24 rural hospitals in 16 states have shut their doors since those states passed Medicaid expansions like SQ 802. That includes rural hospitals in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana and West Virginia.

For more on Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, here’s a link to an interview I did just this week on SQ 802.

Thank you,

Kevin