In Oklahoma, Medicaid is called SoonerCare. The Oklahoma Children’s Health program is called Child Health, and is included under the Medicaid, or SoonerCare, program. This program covers individuals who are age 20 or younger, and who meet the eligibility requirements.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low-income and who cannot afford to buy a health insurance plan from a private company. Medicaid is funded partially by the federal government and in part by the government of an individual state.
In Oklahoma, the Medicaid program is called SoonerCare. It has several different parts to it, and each part is designed to cover a certain eligible population. In Oklahoma, the Medicaid program is administered by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
Many states have CHIP, or a Children’s Health Insurance Program. Each state can name it whatever they want to. Oklahoma calls it Child Health. The purpose of this program is “to improve access, quality and utilization of health care for pregnant women and children in SoonerCare.”
To qualify for Child Health, a child must be 20 years old or younger. He or she must be an Oklahoma resident and must meet citizenship or legal immigration status guidelines. There also are income guidelines that must be met. The income guidelines can be calculated annually or monthly, and take into account the number of people in a family.
It covers children’s health checkups. Those checkups might include a health history, a physical examination, growth measurements, age appropriate shots, lab tests (if needed), and lead testing (if recommended). It can also include time for the parents and the doctor to discuss any questions the parents have about how their child is growing and developing. Child Health also covers health education and information to keep the child, and the family, healthy.
There is also a program called TEFRA. It stands for Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. It gives states the option to make Medicaid (or, SoonerCare, in Oklahoma), benefits available to kids with physical or mental disabilities who wouldn’t ordinarily be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
To qualify for TEFRA, a child must be under the age of 19. He or she must meet the Social Security definition of disability, and also meet the qualifying income and resource limits. The child must meet an institutional level of care. Those levels are called: “intermediate care for the mentally retarded” “nursing facility” and “hospital”. Check the Oklahoma website for more information.
TEFRA covers the things covered in Child Health. It also covers dental care, emergency and non-emergency transportation, inpatient and outpatient treatment, medical equipment, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and vision (depending on the person’s needs).
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