Oklahoma Medicaid continuous coverage extended

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KSWO) - Federal Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced Wednesday the Public Health Emergency’s continuous coverage created in 2020 for certain Medicaid members is has been extended, effective April 16, 2022.

The extension allows certain Oklahomans on Medicaid, who have become ineligible, to maintain their health coverage for another 90 days.

Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) estimates about 200,000 enrolled SoonerCare members could be affected once Secretary Becerra announces the termination of the PHE later this week.

Once Secretary Becerra announces the PHE is ending, OHCA will alert affected members. Each member’s official end date could vary based on the phased out approach OHCA will use to remove ineligible members from SoonerCare.

To verify eligibility, OHCA is asking members to update their information and documentation, so the agency can contact members through U.S. mail, emails, and phone calls.

Members who are ineligible will receive three notices from OHCA across multiple communications channels.

An initial notification letter from OHCA will be mailed once the end date of the PHE is announced. This notification letter will detail the specific end date of benefits for each member.
A second notice will be sent to members 45 days prior to their scheduled end date to inform them of the reason for loss of eligibility, potentially missing documents to verify eligibility and appeal rights.
A third notice will then go out 10 days before the member loses eligibility.

For those members who no longer qualify for Medicaid, they may be able to qualify and receive health insurance coverage through the ACA Marketplace.