Emails Prove OK GOPers Value Lobbyists More than Citizens

[Midtowner]

Regarding the Health Care Exchanges in an Email to the Insurance Commissioner's Office:

An email dated March 1 from Tim Hendricks, owner of Tulsa-based insurance company Business Planning Group, to Doak and others said insurance agents and brokers could not maintain a level playing field if an exchange were to be developed.
“Buying direct via an Exchange will cost the consumer less than through an agent or broker,” Hendricks wrote. “Unless Comm. Doak and our friends in the State Legislature can design a state Exchange that requires accessing broker services before an applicant can purchase health insurance, our profession is doomed.”

At one stage, Doak's office was even attempting to get the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups to write newspaper columns approving of exch

In another email, Farmer asked the Heritage Foundation, another conservative think tank, to write opinion pieces for newspapers in Tulsa and Oklahoma City that would explain why the grants and exchanges are OK, saying, “we are getting beat up pretty hard here in Oklahoma.”
Rep. Mike Ritze said on Friday that he would attribute the sudden change of plans more to pressure by “boots on the ground” — Oklahoma residents and lawmakers who did not want Fallin to pursue an exchange.
Ritze said several large rallies at the Capitol encouraged many top policymakers to reconsider the effort.
“The biggest concern would be the exchanges leading to a kind of backdoor approach to Obamacare,” he said.

And don't you love Ritze's obvious knowledge that the voters are stupid and will believe that "boots on the ground" rather than the insurance lobby had anything to do with the decision to send back $54MM. The takeaway from this piece is clear: Our GOP politicians clearly knew and understood what was in the state's best interests, but at the end of the day, they were powerless to stop the lobbyists from having their way. The message there? The GOP is bought and paid for. They don't represent you, they represent insurance companies and special interests.

[KantoSooner]

insurance companies and brokers have every right to defend their positions/livlihoods. If their positioins are so indefensible, one would think that the counter parties would have a heyday blowing them up, no?

[FaninAma]

Once everybody has to go to a public option in healthcare people like Midtowner will be bitching the loudest.

[olevetonahill]

Once everybody has to go to a public option in healthcare people like Midtowner will be bitching the loudest.

Matlock is a ****in Joke. He does a Copy Paste and that "PROVES" something.

[okie52]

Regarding the Health Care Exchanges in an Email to the Insurance Commissioner's Office:



At one stage, Doak's office was even attempting to get the Heritage Foundation and other conservative groups to write newspaper columns approving of exch



And don't you love Ritze's obvious knowledge that the voters are stupid and will believe that "boots on the ground" rather than the insurance lobby had anything to do with the decision to send back $54MM. The takeaway from this piece is clear: Our GOP politicians clearly knew and understood what was in the state's best interests, but at the end of the day, they were powerless to stop the lobbyists from having their way. The message there? The GOP is bought and paid for. They don't represent you, they represent insurance companies and special interests.

Can they get government sponsored/subsidized legal services, too?

[REDREX]

Lets talk about Tort reform and see who starts sending E-mails

[Midtowner]

Again, insurance companies would be sending lots of emails. They're who tort reform is built to protect. Not you or I.

[Midtowner]

insurance companies and brokers have every right to defend their positions/livlihoods. If their positioins are so indefensible, one would think that the counter parties would have a heyday blowing them up, no?

The counter party is the Oklahoma Democrat Party. They couldn't get out an organized message if their lives depended on it. Even if they did, do you think the Oklahoman is in any rush to give 'em column space?

[yermom]

so you guys are in favor of the monopolistic way insurance works in this state?

or is it just that as long as the GOP is doing it, it must be okay?

[Midtowner]

Once everybody has to go to a public option in healthcare people like Midtowner will be bitching the loudest.

Not one country in the world would trade their public option or socialized medicine for the system we have. They do bitch about their systems, but overwhelmingly would reject full privatization.

[Midtowner]

so you guys are in favor of the monopolistic way insurance works in this state?

or is it just that as long as the GOP is doing it, it must be okay?

Other concerns in those emails did relate to Okie Insurance Companies not wanting to have to compete with other companies.

[okie52]

Again, insurance companies would be sending lots of emails. They're who tort reform is built to protect. Not you or I.

You mean a system that currently bankrupts an innocent party is protecting you and I?

[okie52]

Not one country in the world would trade their public option or socialized medicine for the system we have. They do bitch about their systems, but overwhelmingly would reject full privatization.

I'm all for it like the Swiss. And all of those countries have tort caps and loser pays. Let's go for it ALL.

[olevetonahill]

so you guys are in favor of the monopolistic way insurance works in this state?

or is it just that as long as the GOP is doing it, it must be okay?

Dave, I didnt see anyone postin In Favor of anything, Just Not agreein with matlock and his simplistic view that its all the GOPs fault,

[Midtowner]

I'm all for it like the Swiss. And all of those countries have tort caps and loser pays. Let's go for it ALL.

If you adopt the English rule, let's do it for criminal AND civil cases. If the state charges you for a crime you didn't commit, they pay the defense attorney fees.

[okie52]

so you guys are in favor of the monopolistic way insurance works in this state?

or is it just that as long as the GOP is doing it, it must be okay?

I'm for universal healthcare and a system like the swiss have that affords basic coverage to all with options to upgrade your coverage. The insurance companies would make their money on the optional coverages which would be fine with me. The Swiss pay about 60% of what our healthcare costs.

What we have is a chicken**** healthcare plan that has almost no cost containment that is found in the Euros healthcare plans. They do have tort caps and loser pays systems. Surprisingly, none of that was included in Obamacare. Go figure.

[okie52]

If you adopt the English rule, let's do it for criminal AND civil cases. If the state charges you for a crime you didn't commit, they pay the defense attorney fees.

I'm fine with that too. It would make the DA's think twice about some of the cases they bring to trial.

[Midtowner]

Dave, I didnt see anyone postin In Favor of anything, Just Not agreein with matlock and his simplistic view that its all the GOPs fault,

That's the thing about single party rule. It actually is, by definition always the GOP's fault. Bottom of the country in teacher pay? That right there is the GOP's fault. High incarceration rates? Blame the GOP for not fixing it. They sure as hell have the power to fix it, but they haven't. It was the GOP and the GOP alone who sent back $54 million to the feds over this and untold millions maybe billions in additional medicaid dollars, even against their better judgment due to the concerns of insurance lobbyists.

[Midtowner]

insurance companies and brokers have every right to defend their positions/livlihoods. If their positioins are so indefensible, one would think that the counter parties would have a heyday blowing them up, no?

Businesses will do what businesses will do. As taxpayers, we ought to care about our representatives representing us, not the profit interests of insurance companies.

[Midtowner]

I'm fine with that too. It would make the DA's think twice about some of the cases they bring to trial.

Deal.

My folks had a friend over the other day who is a part time magistrate in the U.K. We had lunch and he explained to us the criminal system over there. You get charged with something and there's a hearing to determine your ability to defend yourself. The state will put some or all of the money up depending on your ability to pay and an amount based upon what it typically costs to defend something like that. Then, if there's a defense verdict, the state pays the rest of the money. If there's a conviction, the defendant has to pay it back.

Both sides should have similar resources. We shouldn't be convicting young black kids because they didn't have the resources to hire an independent lab to review Joyce Gilchrist's phonied up evidence (as an example).