Tuesday, August 12, 2008; Posted: 3:50 p.m. (CDT)
Grace-Marie Turner is the President of the Galen Institute in Washington, D.C. She specializes in health care issues.
Turner says, "If we don't include individual responsibility in our health plan we're never going to be able to solve this problem."
She traveled to Oklahoma City to share her expertise with the 31-member advisory committee at the state capitol Tuesday morning.
"There are lots of ways that different companies are trying to give incentives for good behavior," says Turner. "They are trying for example to give people lower premiums if they don't smoke."
Doug Cox, (R) - Grove, is the Co-Chair of the Health Care Reform Task Force. He says, "I think it's important that in Oklahoma we look at what other states have done so that we can learn from the good points and the mistakes they've made, so we don't repeat those."
He also says lawmakers also have to realize Oklahoma has its own unique set of circumstances.
"There's not a one size fits all package," says Representative Cox.
"My main message to them is that follow the route of more competition, more patient choice and more affordability of insurance," says Turner. "Rather than more regulations that drive cost, drive people out of the market and really begin to cause problems not only for businesses and individuals but also for taxpayers."
Turner says Oklahomans pay more for insurance than others across the United States. In fact, statistics for both individuals and families are higher than the national average.
