Lawmaker blocks insurance mandate bills

Lawmaker blocks insurance mandate bills

May 5, 2008 11:43 PM CDT

Rep. Ron Peterson (R-Broken Arrow) has blocked legislation that would require health insurers to cover a variety of medical procedures.
Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A state lawmaker who has blocked legislation that would require health insurers to cover a variety of medical procedures and conditions has accepted thousands of dollars in donations from individuals or political action committees with ties to the insurance industry, records show.

Rep. Ron Peterson, chairman of the House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee, has received a total of $64,600 in election campaign contributions since Jan. 1, 2007, according to records filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Of the total, $20,075 came from people or PACs with ties to the insurance industry.

Peterson, R-Broken Arrow, is the former owner of a property and casualty insurance agency and his wife is a part-time independent insurance agent. Peterson said the campaign contributions and his close ties to the industry have not influenced his position on insurance mandate legislation.

"They can say I'm the devil and I've been bought off. It's absolutely not true," Peterson said. Peterson said he opposes insurance mandates and believes they drive up the cost of health insurance, making it unaffordable for many Oklahomans.

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