Mary Fallin Visits With Ponca Ctiy Officials

August 08, 2009

Ponca City News

By Louise Abercrombie

Meeting with Ponca City Medical Center staff, insurance officials and members of business and industry, Congresswoman Mary Fallin expressed her views on health reform during a visit here Thursday.

"Moving toward a single payer socialized medical system as President Obama has proposed is the wrong prescription for health care reform," said Fallin.

"Health reform in the nation is an important topic being debated in Congress. I am meeting with as many people as I can ... not only with citizens but also with hospitals and doctors. We talk about what kinds of health reform we need to bring forth lower health care costs in America, create better access to care for those who can't afford to either purchase health insurance or offer health insurance to their employees."

The Congresswoman said she has been sharing some of her ideas on health reform and how to bring some "free market-based principles to maintain the quality of care, maintain the patient-doctor relationship and reforms to the system to create better access to care."

Fallin said she is pleased to be home in Oklahoma and talk to leaders and different industrial sections about how to work on some of the problems the nation is facing.

"We need to find some solutions that won't drive our nation further into debt. I am really concerned about the amount of excess spending that has been going on in Washington D.C., and about some of the proposed tax increases, which I will not support. I'm concerned about some of the big government solutions to some of the challenges the nation is facing."

"I did not support the 'cash for clunkers program,' Fallin said. "I did not support the federal money that was distributed to people to trade in their older vehicles to buy new vehicles that might have better gas mileage. I totally support trying to encourage people to have more fuel efficient vehicles, but I do not think the federal government coming in and interfering into a free market system is the best answer."

She continued, "We have already spent so much money in our federal government, and we are facing a huge national deficit right now. It seems like we are picking losers and winners in our business sector, and there are a lot of businesses that are facing economy challenges."

While here Fallin visited the OSU University Multi Spectral Lab, University Center and Standing Bear Museum. She was accompanied by Carl Renfro and Lee Evans. She attended a reception that evening at the Marland Mansion.

Follow up stories on Fallin's visit to UML and University Center are planned for Tuesday's business page. 

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