More than 300,000 Oklahomans are projected to lose their Medicaid coverage in the next nine months, and increased awareness will be the only way to avert a potential health care catastrophe. This is in addition to the more than 623,000 uninsured in Oklahoma.
The state must reduce enrollments in its Medicaid program, known as SoonerCare, due to the end of Medicaid’s ongoing coverage provisions in the pandemic-related Public Health Emergency Act. States must now return to pre-pandemic Medicaid eligibility rules.
Medicaid discontinuation began April 30. Nationwide, as many as 24 million are projected to lose Medicaid coverage, according to estimates by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is taking steps to inform those to be dropped and using a well-thought-out tiered approach to sifting through its Medicaid rolls. The authority deserves praise for its approach to mitigating a difficult situation as much as possible. The agency’s steps include sending out more letters, identifying those most and least likely to be affected, and conducting a thorough analysis of SoonerCare alumni’s needs and access.
The first to leave will be those who were enrolled but never had a claim and whose income is too high for Medicaid eligibility. Next will be those who have another source of insurance, such as through a spouse or employer. The following group will be Oklahoma singles who do not have children under the age of 5 in the home (it is worth noting that children’s Medicaid eligibility is higher than adults, which means some children may be on SoonerCare even when their parents don’t qualify). After these groups are removed, the cuts get deeper.
Getting the word out about coverage options is difficult, but crucial, particularly for employers, who will bear the rising costs of adding employees to their insurance plans or uninsured employees losing their jobs or underperform due to illness.
With the potential for nearly 1 million uninsured people in Oklahoma, it will be critically important to connect uninsured and underinsured Oklahomas with clinics and specialists, as well as help them navigate the best options for them. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, it takes nine to 12 months for someone who has lost Medicaid to be reconnected to health services. Oklahoma can and should be able to beat this sad statistic through their extensive statewide partnerships. Among them are the 92 free and charitable clinics that partner with the Health Alliance for the Uninsured.
These clinics are ready to help meet the growing need. Their goal is to improve the health of Oklahomans by offering them an alternative to going to the emergency room for primary care, an extremely expensive and ineffective long-term option.
Your first line of defense will be the insurance provided by your employer. For those who can’t afford it or whose employers don’t provide it (particularly contract and part-time employees), Marketplace health insurance plans and tax credits will be lifesavers. For those who still can’t find affordable coverage, such as undocumented immigrants, and those who earn too much for Medicaid but too little to afford a Marketplace plan, there is a free clinic or charity within a 30-minute drive. car for 9 in 10 Oklahoma residents. These clinics are the unsung heroes of our healthcare safety net. They are mostly run by volunteers and offer services for free or on a sliding scale. They are often the last, best stop before someone heads to the emergency room. They are there for exactly the kind of situation the state faces.
Collectively, these options can mitigate the impact of the Medicaid settlement. But employers need to educate their employees, who may not know what’s out there or understand the deadlines they may face when looking for alternative insurance. It’s a responsibility that employers have not sought, but one they must embrace for the well-being of their workers.
It’s not too late to avoid a health catastrophe, but time is running out.
Jeanean Yanish Jones is executive director of the Health Alliance for the Uninsured.
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