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Alexandria, VA - Today State Budget Solutions (SBS), a non-partisan advocate for state budget and pension reform, awarded its “Real Leader” award to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin for her willingness to champion fiscal responsibility by not participating in the state expansion of Medicaid that Oklahoma cannot afford. The award honors an elected official who has boldly led initiatives to avoid the fiscal catastrophe facing many state and municipalities in America. 
 
“We are proud to award Governor Fallin SBS’ Real Leader Award for her dedication to fiscal solvency in Oklahoma,” said State Budget Solutions’ President Bob Williams. “Governor Fallin acted in the best interests of Oklahomans, choosing the path of long-term stability, as opposed to short-term popularity. She defended state sovereignty and respects the choices made by her constituents. Her efforts provide an excellent example of principled decision-making and upstanding communication.”
 
As of February 13, 2013, Oklahoma joins twelve other states in the nation that will not participate in the Medicaid expansion, including: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Republican governors lead each of the twelve states refusing to participate in Medicaid expansion.

“Choosing not to expand Medicaid as proposed in PPACA was the right decision for Oklahoma.  The president’s expansion is unworkable and unaffordable for our state.  Some estimates show expanding Medicaid would cost Oklahoma an additional $689 million.  Instead, we are focusing on an Oklahoma plan to improve the health of our citizens, lower the frequency of preventable illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, and improve access to quality and affordable health care.  My thanks go out to State Budget Solutions for this honor and for the group’s recognition of Oklahoma’s fiscal responsibility,” said Governor Mary Fallin. 
 
In addition to her rejection of the Medicaid expansion and an Oklahoma HIX, Gov. Fallin also committed to supporting Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s lawsuit against the health care law, claiming that the federal government does not have the authority to provide tax credits to poor and middle-class individuals through exchanges that the governments runs, as opposed to the states. On May 18, 2011, Governor Fallin signed into law the Health Care Compact, allowing for Oklahoma and other participating states to create their own health care policies by joining an interstate compact that supersedes prior federal law.
 
This is the third year for the “Real Leader” award. In 2010, Utah State Sen. Dan Liljenquist received the “Real Leader” award for recognizing his state’s pension crisis early and launching a campaign to pass reforms. In 2011, SBS recognized Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels for his work on the state budget, education reforms and the creation of health savings accounts for state workers.

About State Budget Solutions
The State Budget Solutions is non-partisan, positive, pro-reform, proactive and anchored in fundamental-systemic reforms for state budgets and public pensions. State Budget Solutions is a project of Sunshine Review, a national, nonprofit pro-transparency organization. The goal is to successfully engage political journalists/bloggers, state officials and opinion leaders in a new way of thinking about state government and budgets, fundamental reforms, transparency and accountability. Sharing studies and articles, data sets, anecdotes, and compelling narrative about what is happening in state and local budgets, The State Budget Solutions presents and disseminates information about every aspect of coming fiscal and economic disasters and, more importantly, highlights fundamental reforms to avoid them.
    
Check out StateBudgetSolutions.org for more information.