Oklahoma Medicaid expansion goes into effect

More than 120,000 Oklahomans July 1 started receiving health benefits through the state’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said last week. Oklahoma began accepting applications June 1, and the Department of Health and Human Services said approximately 190,000 adults in the state with an income of $35,245 for a family of four, or at or below 133% of the federal poverty line, may now be eligible for health coverage under Medicaid. 
 
Beyond qualifying for the 90% federal matching funds currently available through the Affordable Care Act, Oklahoma also is eligible to receive additional federal funding for their Medicaid program under the American Rescue Plan Act, which incentivizes states by offering a five percentage point increase in their regular federal matching rate for many medical services for two years. 
 
“OHA was proud to be a part of an effort to take Medicaid expansion straight to voters and become the first state to put it in the state constitution,” said Oklahoma Hospital Association President Patti Davis. “We are grateful to the people of Oklahoma who believed as we did that expanding Medicaid was the right thing to do. For more than a decade, Oklahoma hospitals have been working tirelessly to increase health coverage and ultimately save lives, as well as to strengthen rural hospitals and boost our economy by expanding Medicaid. Our work to increase health care access, reduce disparities and lower the number of uninsured will continue.”