2009 task force report offers ideas for state health care reform

Fallin doesn't have to look far for ideas. A state House task force report issued in 2009, largely collecting dust since then, still contains some suggestions worth reviving.

In particular, several of the group's recommendations focused on Insure Oklahoma, a program that provides state matching funds to certain small businesses and individuals to help them buy private insurance. The program, funded with tobacco tax money, can typically cover a maximum of only 40,000 individuals, so the task force recommended identifying additional funds for the effort.

Taxes would not have to be raised. Lawmakers could redirect funds currently supporting other programs that provide less public benefit. Governing is about making choices based on a realistic cost-benefit analysis.

This isn't a perfect solution. Taxpayers would still be on the hook for some of the cost of covering the uninsured. But a program using some taxpayer funds while also requiring financial buy-in from private beneficiaries is preferable to the current system where the uninsured show up in the emergency room and pass on all of the cost of care to others. By requiring individuals to cover at least part of the cost of their coverage, Insure Oklahoma lowers the expense carried by other citizens and eases financial strain on hospitals.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, recently identified Insure Oklahoma as a focus for reform efforts next year. Sadly, other sensible recommendations proposed by the House task force may not be viable today because of the passage of Obamacare. The report encouraged greater use of flexible spending accounts, which allow employees to use pre-tax dollars to buy health insurance, noting employees have saved up to 26 percent using the plans. The group also recommended expanded use of high-deductible plans paired with health savings accounts that give individuals greater personal control.