Tulsa World: Oklahomans weigh-in on Obama's health plan

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Oklahomans weigh-in on Obama's health plan

Joanna Williams, a Claremore resident, opposes several points made during the Barack Obama's healthcare reform speech. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 7/23/2009 9:36 PM
Last Modified: 7/23/2009 9:38 PM

Many Tulsa area residents believe health care should be reformed, but not the way President Barack Obama proposes doing it.

“I don’t like spending to save money,” said Ben Taylor, an Inola resident who has been tracking the debate. “I wasn’t brought up that way. I was brought up to work hard and save money.”

Obama held a news conference Wednesday evening to urge Congress to pass his health care package before the August recess. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the overhaul would cost $1 trillion over 10 years. Obama then headed to Cleveland for a town hall meeting Thursday as a continuation of his campaign to forward his health care proposals.

“I want to believe him. I’m sure health care needs to be tuned up. I’m sure there’s a lot of waste and greed,” Taylor said. “If he does all the things he says he’ll do, that’s wonderful. But I don’t think he can.”

China, India and other countries have surpassed the U.S. in many ways, he said.

“I think the U.S. is in trouble. China and India and other countries are going by the old rules that we made. They adopted those and we forgot them,” Taylor said.

Some residents felt Obama was short on details about his proposals during the conference.

“It was like we were playing a riddle game,” said Joanna Williams of Claremore, who as a Medicare beneficiary is concerned about the health care system. “There was very little said about health care. It was all about the stock market and the transparency of the White House.”

Although Obama said he would not agree to pay for his plan with any proposal that would “primarily” place the burden on the middle class, she heard a qualifier.

“Listen to the words. He said ‘primarily,’?” Williams said. “Buyer beware.”

Read the entire story in Friday's Tulsa World.

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By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer

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Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Obama health care plan debate continues here," which was published on 7/24/2009. So far, 25 comments have been made.