More than 100K Oklahomans sign up under Medicaid expansion

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — State officials say that more than 100,000 Oklahomans have qualified for Medicaid this week under an expansion of the program approved by voters.

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority reported on Friday that 101,001 Oklahomans have qualified for benefits, including about 60,000 from urban areas and more than 41,000 from rural Oklahoma.

After a decade of Republican resistance, Oklahoma voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment last year to expand eligibility for benefits.

Now, an individual who earns up to $17,796 annually, or $36,588 for a family of four, qualifies for Medicaid health care coverage.