Insurance Commissioner Refuses to Enforce Obamacare

OKLAHOMA CITY, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oklahoma Insurance Department will not be participating in a collaborative effort with the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) to enforce the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a letter released by Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak. 

"It is unfortunate that health insurers are being forced into a system of dual regulation by the overreaching Obama administration," Doak said. "My position on this has never wavered and I welcome every opportunity to try to overturn Obamacare."

The letter was sent to CCIIO Deputy Administrator and Director Gary Cohen indicating that the Oklahoma Insurance Department does not have the authority to enforce federal law. In the letter, Doak wrote, "I execute my duties collaboratively with the governor and legislature of Oklahoma to meet the needs of the citizens we represent and the requirements of the Insurance Code of the Oklahoma Statutes."

"The Oklahoma Insurance Department regulates the health insurance policies sold in the state and responds to consumer questions and complaints. Our consumer assistance team receives over 30,000 phone calls and our website receives over 1,000,000 visits each year. We will continue to serve these consumers by adhering to our duties under the State Constitution and Statutes. The consumers are the ones who are going to bear the costs of these unnecessary federal regulatory burdens," stated Doak.

In addition to adding new fees to health insurance products increasing prices both inside and outside the exchange, the ACA requires plans to add expensive and often unnecessary coverage benefits. These costs will impact young adults most severely due to the law's requirement that older Americans pay no more than three times the premium of young adults. A survey of insurers by the American Action Forum found that average premiums for young, healthy adults may triple going into 2014.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department consumer assistance team is available to help consumers with issues regarding their current health insurance at 405-521-2828 and toll-free statewide at 800-522-0071.

About the Oklahoma Insurance Department
The Oklahoma Insurance Department, an agency of the State of Oklahoma, is responsible for the education and protection of the insurance-buying public and for oversight of the insurance industry in the state.

For more information contact:
Kelly Collins
(405) 522-0683
[email protected]

SOURCE Oklahoma Insurance Department

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