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Obamacare diverts Oklahoma government funds

The Oklahoman Editorial | Published: February 1, 2013 Comment on this article

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“I just don't want government in my life,” Ian Gliori told Oklahoma Watch. “I don't want their help.”

The extra $40 million for Medicaid will divert at least $400 million over the next decade from schools, roads, and public safety — not including health care inflation. Based on Oklahoma's average teacher salary, the amount would cover the cost of more than 900 teachers' jobs every year.

That's a high price to pay just to force people like the Glioris to either spend money they don't have on increasingly expensive coverage they can't afford or shift the burden to other taxpayers by signing up for a Medicaid program whose services they don't need.

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