The Medicaid program in Oklahoma is called SoonerCare. The name “Sooner” goes back into the state’s history. Oklahoma was one of the states that accepted federal funding that is designed to be used in order to create a state health insurance exchange. Eligible people will be able to apply for Medicaid through the exchange.
What is a Sooner? It is a term that is uniquely connected to Oklahoma history. According to SoonerSports.com the word goes back to an event called the “Land Run of 1889”. This was when settlers who were seeking free land came to the Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim.
One of the rules was that everyone interested in getting land had to start at the same time. There was a group who was allowed to start sooner than the rest. These people were deputy marshals, land surveyors, and railroad employees. The group got called “Sooners”. Today, the word Sooner is attached to athletic teams in Oklahoma.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, form of health insurance. It is designed to provide health insurance for people who are low-income and who cannot afford to purchase a health plan from a private company. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and the government of an individual state.
In 2011, Oklahoma was one of the states that accepted a grant that was designed to be used by a state to help set up its health insurance exchange. Oklahoma accepted $54.6 million of grant money for that purpose.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services administers the Medicaid program in Oklahoma. It is called SoonerCare. Their website makes it very easy to find out the eligibility requirements. I’ve been writing a series of blogs about the Medicaid programs of individual states. Oklahoma is among the states that make it very simple for people to discover if they are eligible for SoonerCare.
To be eligible for SoonerCare, a person must be an adult who has children who are under the age of 18, or an adult who is older than 65. Pregnant women can also qualify, and so can adults who have blindness or another disability. There is also a program that covers children.
People must meet the income guidelines in order to be eligible for SoonerCare. Monthly countable income must be equal to or less than the following income standards, which are 185% of federal poverty guidelines.
Recipients of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program are automatically eligible for SoonerCare. Those who are “aged, blind or disabled” must receive a disability determination from the Social Security Administration in order to qualify for Medicaid in Oklahoma.
Image by Eric M Martin on Flickr