Oklahoma begins disenrolling 270,000 Medicaid recipients

OKLAHOMA CITY — Beginning Sunday, about 30,000 Oklahomans will lose Medicaid coverage each month through the end of the year as a federal health emergency tied to the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority will disenroll about 270,449 Medicaid recipients, including about 52,000 people in Tulsa County, who no longer qualify for the government health benefits intended for low-income residents.

This will be the first time in more than three years that the Health Care Authority will clear ineligible residents from the state's Medicaid program, called SoonerCare.

As part of a public health emergency declared at the federal level due to the COVID-19 pandemic, states were barred from removing anyone from their Medicaid rolls. First declared in March 2020, the public health emergency will end May 11.

Prior to the pandemic, the Health Care Authority would disenroll ineligible Medicaid recipients each month. In most of those cases, a person's income would increase and they would no longer qualify.

About 70% of the Oklahomans who will lose Medicaid coverage in the coming months exceed the income limits, said Health Care Authority spokeswoman Emily Long.

To be eligible for Medicaid, an individual must earn less than $20,124 annually and a family of four must earn less than $41,400.

Health Care Authority CEO Kevin Corbett said the agency's primary goal is to avoid or minimize gaps in health insurance coverage. Historically, Oklahoma's rate of residents without health insurance has been among the worst in the nation, although the state's expansion of Medicaid in 2020 extended health coverage to more than 200,000 additional Oklahomans.

Nationally, millions of people will lose their Medicaid coverage, Corbett said in February.

"We're not alone in this process," he said. "Every other state is going through this."

Among the first people to lose coverage in Oklahoma will be adults who don't have young children, those who have other insurance coverage besides SoonerCare and those who did not use their Medicaid benefits.

Among the last people to be disenrolled are Medicaid recipients who have chronic health conditions, those who are in the middle of medical treatments, those who don't have other insurance and adults with children younger than age 5.

Oklahoma is trying to ensure the most vulnerable residents have health insurance coverage for as long as possible, Corbett said.

"We've thought long and hard about how to do this with a level of compassion," he said.

The Health Care Authority is mailing four or five notices to each individual poised to lose coverage in addition to sending out emails and text messages.

Emma Morris, health care and revenue policy analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, expressed concerns that some people who are still eligible for Medicaid will accidentally lose coverage due to outdated employment and income information. She urged all Medicaid recipients to update their personal information with the Health Care Authority at mysoonercare.org.

People losing Medicaid coverage will be eligible to sign up for health insurance on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace during a special enrollment period that lasts until July 31, 2024. People will have 60 days from the date they lose coverage to sign up for a new plan through the marketplace or their employer.

"It's safe to say that there are likely folks who will make their way to employer (health insurance) coverage or the marketplace," Morris said. "I think there are also folks who won't know what to do, and won't know who can help them. That's a potential pitfall where we might see some people losing coverage because they aren't sure where to go."

Joe Cusick, a project manager with Tulsa Responds, said he's surprised the group hasn't received more phone calls and emails from Oklahomans who are about to lose their Medicaid coverage. Cusick anticipates their phone lines will be flooded with calls after the disenrollment process begins.

"We're honestly just expecting to see and hear a lot of confusion from the public," he said.

Tulsa Responds has nearly a dozen Medicaid navigators who can help Oklahomans appeal their loss off coverage, reapply for SoonerCare or apply for new insurance through the federal marketplace. Tulsa Responds offers its services free of charge. English and Spanish speakers can call 918-900-0918 or visit tulsaresponds.org

Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma is also helping Oklahomans navigate the health insurance marketplace. For help, visit myokplan.org.

People with questions about their Medicaid eligibility can call the Health Care Authority's helpline at 800-987-7767