Over 300,000 Oklahomans Being Dropped From Soonercare
KOKH - May 24, 2023 6:40 am
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are being disenrolled from Soonercare, this comes after Congress passed federal regulation ending the public health emergency that began during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The Health Alliance for The Uninsured says there are many options for people losing their Medicaid or Soonercare Coverage here in Oklahoma, and they are here to help all Oklahomans get connected to Health Care.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, the government provided special provisions to help people stay healthy, safe, and protected.
“One of those was the public health emergency, and with the closing of the official pandemic, that public health emergency has expired, and that means that people who had been kept on the Medicaid/Soonercare rules, even after they had become ineligible due to having a higher income level are now being disenrolled or asked to re-enroll,” said Health Alliance for The Uninsured Executive Director, Jeanean Yanish Jones.
Currently, there are over 600,000 uninsured Oklahomans, and now an additional 308,000 are losing their Soonercare coverage.
“So we’re approaching closer to a million people who are not insured and connected with a health care facility,” Jones said, “So this is why this is really a crisis for our state because that’s almost a quarter of our population.”
The Health Alliance for The Uninsured says there are many solutions for those without insurance in the state.
“There are a lot of options in Oklahoma, and it’s complex,” said Jones, “So our office is there to help in this process to navigate people the Health Care Authority is willing to help, we have our primary care association that helps as well, please reach out to us and let us help be a part of your solution and get connected to health care.”
One option for people losing their coverage who cannot afford health insurance is going to one of the free and charitable clinics in Oklahoma.
“We’re blessed to have 92 Free and charitable clinics in our state, these clinics are 100% free,” Jones said.
Crossings Community Clinic is one of the free clinics in Oklahoma City that is able to provide free medical care services with donations from Crossroads Church and other foundations and funders.
“Crossings Community Clinic exists to serve those who are in need, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, we provide basic medical care, dental care, and also vision care,” said Crossings Community Clinic Executive Director, Marq Youngblood. “You have options, we’re one of those options. We’re not the only option, but we do feel like we are a great option because not only are we free of charge, we also provide excellent services.”
