Broken Arrow -

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn told a large crowd in Broken Arrow that, while there are problems with the nation's health care system, it is still the best system in the World.

Because of the large number of people wanting to attend this morning's town hall meeting, it was moved to the Community Center. Meeting officials opened the doors this morning and within minutes it was standing room only and people were still waiting to get in. The meeting has now been moved from The Main Place at 18th and Main in Broken Arrow to the Community Center at 15th and Main.

Coburn told those gathered that while something has to be done to address the health care system, a government takeover isn't the way to go about it.

"America's health care system has a lot of problems, there is no question," he said. "And we ought to be addressing those problems. But, don't forget it's the best health care system in the World. The problem is it costs too much. And the reason it costs too much is because we don't have any market forces driving the costs down. And, if anything comes out of Washington to address health care, the way you'll know that it's effective is if it costs less, not more."

He also said while there are reportedly 47-million Americans without health care coverage, it doesn't mean all 47-million can't get health care.

"Fifteen million of them are eligible for Medicaid, but we haven't enrolled them," Coburn said. "We have 11 million people in this country who are illegal that are in that 47 (million), we have 11-million people who make over 75-thousand dollars a year and who choose not to buy health care coverage. So what we end up with is ten million people who really need our help. And, what we can do with the money we're already spending on health care is take care of everybody, make sure everybody has the prevention and management of their chronic diseases that they have and prevent further chronic disease without the first movement of the government into health care."

It's the second straight day of town hall meetings for Coburn. Yesterday in Muskogee, the meeting also had to be moved to a larger location because instead of the 160 expected, more than five hundred showed up.

Coburn has two planned meetings on Friday -- this morning's meeting in Broken Arrow and one this evening at 5 o'clock at the Jenks Town Hall, 211 North Elm in Jenks.

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