Physician Shortage
Wellness
The Chamber supports incentives to recruit and retain Primary Care Physicians and Allied Health Professionals in Oklahoma, especially in rural and underserved areas, through expansion of residency programs in the state’s medical schools, scholarships, loan forgiveness and other incentives. The Chamber further supports efforts to identify new funding streams dedicated to this initiative.
The Chamber supports state wellness and prevention programs that serve to improve the health of Oklahoma citizens such as programs supported through the State Department of Health, outreach initiatives, as well as workplace and school-based wellness programs.
Oklahoma County Community Health Network The Chamber will work with members of the Oklahoma County Commission to transform the Health Care Safety Net to implement a Master Plan to assist the uninsured by establishing a single robust system for receiving, managing and distributing requests for donated specialty care.
Alzheimer’s Disease The Chamber will support the reinstatement of the OU Health Science Center’s brain autopsy program. This procedure will help researchers develop a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease with the ultimate goal of finding a cure for this illness. The Chamber further supports the creation of a state taskforce to review, and, if necessary, redraft the 2009 plan that considered effective strategies for treating and combating the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Federal Issues Any Willing Provider The Chamber opposes “any willing provider” legislation which would eliminate the incentive for medical providers to contract with managed care networks and, as a result, potentially frustrate efforts at cost and quality control and ultimately deny consumers the benefits of cost-reducing arrangements with providers. Local Control The Chamber supports legislation that would provide municipalities with local control over local issues such as tobacco use and smoking provided existing businesses are exempt or otherwise protected.
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The Chamber supports improving health care quality, access and affordability without imposing new mandates and/or taxes on business. Therefore, the Chamber opposes a single-payer government-run/public option or health care system with government mandates. The Chamber believes that employers drive innovation in health benefits and that market-driven health reforms are the best approach to reducing costs while promoting efficiency, wellness and quality of care.
Pre-K - 12 Education Early Childhood Education The Chamber has been a steadfast supporter for early childhood education and full funding of pre-
2013 LEGISLATIVE GUIDE