TL/DR –
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is concluding its nine-month period of removing residents from Medicaid due to the end of federal pandemic health care protections. By November 30, over 307,000 Oklahomans had been removed from the health care benefits program, with an estimated 29,769 additional residents expected to be disenrolled in December. To qualify for Medicaid, an individual must earn less than $20,124 annually, and a family of four must have an income below $41,400.
Oklahoma Medicaid Unwinding Nearing Completion
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is concluding a nine-month process, where it has removed hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans from Medicaid due to the cessation of federal pandemic health care protections. The state entity managing Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, SoonerCare, will end its Medicaid unwinding by Dec. 31.
This process necessitates all states to resume regular Medicaid enrollment and eligibility procedures, ensuring only qualifying residents receive benefits. This comes following the revocation of federal health care protections in place for approximately three years.
Throughout COVID-19, a federal public health emergency prevented states from disenrolling people from Medicaid even if they became ineligible. Typically, the Health Care Authority routinely disenrolls Medicaid recipients who lose eligibility due to increased income or other factors.
Around 307,000 Oklahomans were removed from the health care benefits program by Nov. 30, with an estimated further 29,769 Oklahomans expected to be disenrolled in December. To be eligible for Medicaid, an individual’s annual income must be under $20,124, and a family of four must earn less than $41,400.
Approximately 173,183 Oklahomans lost coverage due to procedural denials, where paperwork to retain their coverage wasn’t completed, according to Health Care Authority spokesperson Emily Long. Oklahoma facilitates real-time Medicaid application processing, allowing individuals who discover they lost coverage to reapply immediately and determine their eligibility.
Impact on Health Alliance for the Uninsured
The Health Alliance for the Uninsured operates more than 90 free clinics statewide and has noted an increase in patients due to more people losing Medicaid coverage.
“We’ve recorded an upsurge in referrals for people needing health care owing to the massive loss of coverage,” informed Jeanean Yanish Jones, Executive Director of the organization.
Oklahoma’s Approach to Unwinding
The Health Care Authority structured its unwinding process to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents who lose their eligibility, keeping their coverage as long as possible. The process began in May by removing ineligible recipients who didn’t utilize their Medicaid benefits and adults without young children. As the process nears its conclusion, recipients with chronic conditions, those with young children, and those undergoing treatments are being disenrolled.
“Towards the end of this unwinding period, we’re focusing on the most vulnerable and frequent users of the services,” Jones explained. “This is a highly critical phase as the initial months had less impact, affecting people who may not have even filed a claim or knew they were covered by SoonerCare”.
Jones expressed hope that those losing coverage are taking steps to reapply for Medicaid or secure health insurance through their employer, the federal marketplace, or other sources. It usually takes nine to 12 months for someone to regain health coverage after losing their Medicaid benefits.
Despite Medicaid expansion in 2021 significantly decreasing the number of uninsured Oklahomans, the state still ranks high in uninsured rates, with 12% of the population, or 463,300 Oklahomans uninsured as of last year, according to KFF, a health care policy group.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, which manages Medicaid services for the aged, blind, and disabled population, will continue its unwinding process through March.
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