Oklahoma Doctor Refuses To Accept Obamacare

By Justin Dougherty

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Surgery Center of Oklahoma Medical Director, Dr. Keith Smith believes the Affordable Care Act is designed to fail. And he says his decision to go independent is his best choice yet.

"More and more companies are running away from Obamacare to this oasis called self-funding," said Dr. Keith Smith of Surgery Center of Oklahoma.

Smith won't cover it up.

"We don't believe the government has any role in health care," said Smith.

His practice, Surgery Center of Oklahoma, will not accept any health care under the Affordable Care Act.

"I'm sure that these exchange plans will not equal the amount of our cost of operation," said Smith.

Instead, Smith has taken his work out of network.

"We've tried just about every insurance, but we hope that within the next 12 to 18 months none of our business will be dependent on them," Smith said.

Now the Surgery Center of Oklahoma is on a different network, the online network.

"We have our prices online for everyone to see," said Smith.

Smith said their decision to be independent and put prices online has brought in patients not just out of state, but out of the country to pay out of pocket.

"Many of the prices we have online are within people's deductible expense," said Smith.

And if Smith's plan doesn't work, he won't hesitate to stop his work.

"If the practice of medicine is no longer mutual, then we will close. We'll just walk away," Smith said.

Now Smith did say that the Surgery Center will file with a patient's insurance company out of courtesy. But again he does hope the practice is fully independent within 12 to 18 months.

Learn more about the Surgery Center of Oklahoma.