COLUMN: Connecting kids to healthcare coverage

As 2026 begins, the topic of insurance affordability and what can be done to keep costs from going up is top-of-mind.

While much of that discussion will occur at the federal level and involves adults, there are things occurring locally which can assist many Oklahoma youth.

For the past several years, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has promoted the work of My OK Plan, a nonprofit program operated by Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LASO), Inc. Their team of local assisters are real people who are standing by to assist Oklahomans statewide, at no cost, in finding the health insurance coverage that works for them. You can get information on the program on the front page of our website at oica.org.

This effort is a funded project through a federal grant administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Under this grant, our two organizations have promoted awareness of SoonerCare/SoonerSelect coverage.

SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) is a health insurance program for lower income people/families to receive coverage provided by the state. SoonerSelect is Oklahoma's managed care program for SoonerCare, implemented by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) and operated through plans provided by selected insurance providers.

To qualify for SoonerCare/SoonerSelect, you must:

Reside in Oklahoma.

Be a US citizen or qualified documented resident.

Meet financial income and guidelines in certain categories.

Income eligibility varies depending on household size. It is important to know that children and pregnant women qualify at higher income limits.

For those who qualify for this insurance coverage, you can receive:

Child Health & Wellness visits to doctors.

Primary Care/Preventive Care support services.

Behavioral/Mental Health coverage.

Dental coverage.

Prescription Drugs authorized by a provider.

Pregnancy & Postpartum Care for expectant mothers.

There is no monthly or yearly cost to have SoonerCare/SoonerSelect coverage for those who meet the income guidelines. Some services may require a small copay ($4-$10) at the time services are received.

As of November 2025, the age breakdown of total enrollment for children under the OHCA was 511,209 Oklahomans ages 18 and under, more than half of the children estimated to live in our state.

In the 2025 KIDS COUNT Data Book, Oklahoma ranks 43rd in health and 7% of children are uninsured (around 77,000 kids). That is a slight improvement from previous years but still concerning. These are children who either fall above the income threshold, or their caregivers simply have not enrolled them.

For our part in this project, OICA is doing outreach to school districts, daycares, and other early childhood organizations across the state to promote information about this nonprofit's work and how those who qualify might sign up.

We also have received funds to distribute printed materials to these entities in 20 selected counties across the state. Our work makes a difference in reaching Oklahomans who qualify for this support. Over a six-month span at the end of last year, 6,866 children were new enrollees for coverage.

Another bonus, in 2023, the state started using a new federal option to count students who get help from Medicaid (SoonerCare) to also qualify for free school lunches, and the impact was successful. Now, almost 300,000 students in Oklahoma receive free meals at school thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a federal program which helps schools in high poverty areas serve meals to all students at no cost to their families. This has doubled support around the state and provided a lifeline for many families to help survive tough economic times.

To see if your children qualify for SoonerCare or SoonerSelect, or if you know of a family with children who might qualify, please direct them to myOKplan.org to have a navigator assist with enrollment, or you can call (833)465-7526 and an operator will assist.

___

Joe Dorman, CEO for The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, and is the former District 65 member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.