Tuesday, August 13, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak is applauding a significant win in Oklahoma’s fight against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after a federal judge denied the government’s motion to dismiss the case brought by Attorney General Scott Pruitt.
“The federal government is struggling to push through ObamaCare when so many are against the overreaching law and its numerous flaws,” said Doak. “I stand together with Oklahomans and state leaders as we continue to challenge this law and expose the extraordinarily negative impact it will have on so many Americans.”
In a ruling filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, Judge Ronald White rejected claims by the federal government that Oklahoma lacked legal standing to challenge ACA implementation. Pruitt’s initial lawsuit, filed in January 2011, was amended in September 2012 after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finalized a rule that allows large employers in states with federally created exchanges to face millions of dollars of fines. Pruitt’s lawsuit argues that the IRS is interpreting the law in a way Congress did not intend.
“In direct conflict with federal health care law, employers will be heavily penalized unless we continue to fight against ObamaCare,” continued Doak. “The federal government has become intrusive and has severely overestimated support for a law that is doomed to fail. Oklahoma has won a major battle and we will keep fighting for our state.
Oklahoma is one of 34 states with a federally created exchange that will be impacted by the IRS ruling.
For more information contact:
Kelly Collins
(405) 522-0683
Kelly.Collins@oid.ok.gov
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.
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