Pre-existing condition

Many people will agree that if there’s any place in need of health care reform or improvements it’s Oklahoma, a state with a long history of poor medical access and outcome rankings among the states.

Yet Oklahoma’s conservative Congressional delegation, including Democrat U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, will probably oppose meaningful reform after a summer of right-wing misinformation campaigns, those unproductive “town hells” and a growing apathy among a progressive base that seems increasingly alienated from the health care debate.

Even a quick glance at Oklahoma’s basic health care facts shows the state needs massive health care reform.

According to a report issued by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathryn Sebelius, health insurance premiums in Oklahoma have increased 77 percent since 2000. Currently, 19 percent of the state’s population is uninsured and 17 percent of Oklahomans have said they didn’t seek medial care because of high costs, the report notes. The quality of health care is rated as “weak” by the report.

The Commonwealth Fund, a private organization that promotes better medical care, recently ranked Oklahoma 50th in the nation when it comes to health care issues, according to its Web site. The state also ranks low in children’s health care performance.

The bottom line is too many people are uninsured in the state, medical outcomes and access are some of the worst in the nation and too many people are forced to use hospital emergency rooms for basic care, which drives up costs for everyone.

Shouldn’t Oklahoma be a ripe place for a burgeoning health care reform movement?

Instead, the state’s ultra-conservative population, represented by a conservative Congressional delegation, has apparently bought into the scare tactics presented by Fox News and other right-wing disinformation institutions. A recent town hall with U.S. Rep. Tom Cole contained all the standard right-wing screeches about big government and loss of freedom, according to media reports.

The sticking point has been the proposal to establish a public option for health insurance. This option would not force anyone to change current insurance coverage or doctor. It’s not government-run medical care; it’s government-run insurance. Still, the “government-run” part is enough to ignite an extremely vocal minority, fueled and supported by vested corporate interests, to compare it to socialism and constitutional violations. This group will surely oppose nonprofit medical co-ops as well.

Meanwhile, the national GOP, which has targeted Boren for defeat in 2010, ran an ad in the congressman’s district that implied he actually favors a House proposal dealing with health care reform. Actually, Boren, a conservative Democrat, is part of the Blue Dog coalition, which has opposed the public option as it has currently been proposed.

U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn is working on his own health care proposal, which will not bring meaningful changes. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says the health care reform movement will hurt Democrats in 2010. It’s unlikely U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, or any Oklahoma GOP congressional delegation member, will support a Democratic health care reform plan no matter what it contains.

Oklahoma children suffer with asthma conditions because their parents can’t afford decent medical treatment, people here are denied care because of pre-existing conditions, and some will meet early deaths because they can’t afford routine medical tests. It’s all around, but no one seems to be screaming about human suffering.