GOP governor endorses idea to extend ObamaCare plans

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) on Monday endorsed an idea put forward by some congressional Republicans to help soften the impact of a Supreme Court ruling against part of ObamaCare. 

{mosads}In an op-ed in the Tulsa World, Fallin supported Congress passing financial assistance to let people temporarily keep their ObamaCare plans. Without such assistance, millions of people would lose insurance in the roughly three dozen states using federally run marketplaces if the Supreme Court strikes down subsidies to help people afford coverage.

“We hope that Congress would offer targeted, temporary relief for people to maintain their current coverage while we work together on free-market, consumer-friendly solutions for the future,” Fallin wrote. 

Such temporary assistance has also been put forward in proposals by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and by Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). 

The latter proposal says the temporary assistance will give lawmakers time to work out a plan to give states more “freedom and flexibility” to create their own solutions. 

Fallin also pushes for a state-based approach. 

“As policy solutions are created by Congress in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling on King v. Burwell, we encourage options that would allow the states the opportunity to innovate and offer health insurance that better meets the needs of our citizens,” she wrote. 

Fallin also cast doubt on an option to allow states to create their own marketplaces to keep the subsidies flowing if the court rules against the Obama administration. 

“We want to make sure people are able to keep their health insurance,” she wrote. “But many governors do not want to be forced to create a state exchange or see our citizens lose coverage.”