More than 113,000 Oklahomans will have health coverage starting next month through Medicaid expansion.
Of those, 17,591 are people who had never applied before, according to the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
The rest — 95,829 — are people whose recent applications were reprocessed or those who were transitioned into SoonerCare from more limited benefitprograms.
Melissa Richey, a spokeswoman for the Health Care Authority, said the agency is monitoring what parts of the state applicants are coming from, as well as their ages and other demographics, to determine where it’ll need to focus outreach efforts to reach more eligible Oklahomans.
“We also will have to target more of those people who don't have access to a computer or mobile phone where they can apply,” Richey said.
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One group, Indivisible Stillwater — which, along with other chapters of the organization,was part of the grassroots effort to garner support for Medicaid expansion to Oklahoma — is working to bolster the state's efforts to spread the wordabout who is now eligible, said the group's founder and co-leader, Cindy Alexander.
"Some of the newly eligible people, maybe they don't participate in social media, maybe they don't have good internet access where they live. But they go to the grocery store, and they might go to church, and they might see a flyer that somebody posted," Alexander said. "We're just trying to supplement the state's efforts to be sure that anybody who might be eligible checks to see if they're eligible."
SoonerCare enrollment demographics
So far, more than 73,000 —nearly 65% — of those newly approved for SoonerCare through expansion are women. That was to be expected, Richey said, because many of the early enrollees are people who were transitioned into the program from other eligibility groups, like parents and caretaker relatives, and women make up a larger portion of those groups.
“As more members apply on their own, we anticipate that gap to narrow,” she said.
The largest number of enrollees is in the 25 to 34 age range, with more than 34,000 people who have been approved for coverage. The age group with the lowest number of enrollees is 55- to 64-year-olds, with under 9,000. That group likely will be targeted in the Health Care Authority’s future outreach, Richey said.
About 59% live in urban areas, compared to about 41% of new enrollees who live in rural areas.
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Tips for applying for Medicaid
Steve Goldman, who helps people enroll in Medicaid through his work as health navigator at Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, said the state’s expansion enrollment numbers so far show “that Oklahomans are taking care of their health by getting coverage when they couldn’t get it before."
He offered a few tips for those applying: first, it’s not a job interview. You can apply multiple times or update your application, and the approval process is instant if you’re on the phone or applying online.
Those who are eligible will want to have coverage before they accrue any medical bills.
“Pre-existing conditions are covered. But pre-existing bills aren't,” he said, adding that coverage typically begins the day someone applies. “So you need to have coverage before your care starts adding up to bills.”
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Who'seligible and how to apply for Medicaid in Oklahoma
About 200,000 Oklahomans are expected to apply for coverage through Medicaid expansion in its first year. Under the expanded eligibility guidelines, adults ages 19-64 are eligible for benefits if their income is 138% or lower than the federal poverty level.
For an individual, that is an income of about $17,796 a year, or $36,588 for a family of four.
Applications can be submitted online, over the phone or through the mail. To apply online, visitMySoonerCare.org.To apply over the phone, call the SoonerCare Helpline at 800-987-7767.
To send in an application by mail, printable applications can be found in English and Spanish on the Oklahoma Health Care Authority website.
For those who apply online or over the phone, you'll get an answer immediately about whether you are approved for coverage. By mail, it'll be a wait of about two to three weeks.
Eligibility guidelines can be found on theHealth Care Authority's website.
