Lankford: Oklahoma Obamacare Enrollees Still Average Less Per County than had Lunch at a Local Sonic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2014

Lankford: Oklahoma Obamacare Enrollees Still Average Less Per County than had Lunch at a Local Sonic

Washington, DC— In the following statement, Representative James Lankford (R-OK) expressed his frustration with the Obama Administration’s latest Obamacare enrollment numbers for Oklahoma:

“The latest announcement of Obamacare enrollment in Oklahoma through December 31, 2013, does little to ease my fears for families trying to abide by the law and sign up for the President’s chosen health plans,” said Lankford.

“The Administration announced today that 14,999 Oklahomans have selected a plan on the healthcare.gov website, roughly 195 people per county in Oklahoma —still fewer people on average per county than the number who went to a typical Sonic today during lunch. The Administration’s numbers represent those with a plan in their online ‘shopping cart,” not those who are completely enrolled and covered. It is long overdue for the Administration to provide Americans with actual enrollment numbers, not just those who have selected a plan online. The latest vague numbers are especially infuriating when you acknowledge that as many as 9,000 Oklahomans who had Insure Oklahoma coverage they liked, lost their coverage because the Administration deemed it ‘illegal.’

“The latest enrollment numbers demonstrate that the Affordable Care Act continues to fail to achieve the goal of covering the uninsured, which means tens of thousands of Oklahomans will have tax penalties next year. The 14,999 who selected a plan reflect 9.75% of Oklahoma’s uninsured population. Considering the millions of dollars spent to date, I do not consider less than 10% of Oklahoma’s uninsured enrolling in the President’s mandated program real progress and neither should the Administration,” concluded Lankford.

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