Kris Steele, a Republican who was speaker of the Oklahoma House during a period of intense GOP resistance to the Affordable Care Act, came out Monday night for a key feature of that health care law.

Speaking at a forum on mental health care in south Oklahoma City, Steele endorsed Medicaid expansion. In fact, he recited the main points of those now pushing for a state ballot question on expanding the state-federal health care insurance.

“When people are healthier, they tend to commit less crime,” Steele said. “When people are healthier, it tends to improve the quality of life.

“The reality is this: Collectively we are a rural state. Health care in rural Oklahoma is in crisis. If there’s a way to bring some of our tax dollars back home to benefit the people who live in our state, I don’t know why we wouldn’t do that.”