“How Reduced Medicaid Coverage Affects Your Business” is the topic of a free business roundtable on April 13th. journal record Partnered with Oklahoma Primary Care Association and Health Alliance for the Uninsured.
308,000 Oklahomans are expected to lose their health coverage over the next nine months due to Medicaid cuts due to the Public Health Emergency Act, which is set to end May 11.
Jeanean Yanish Jones, Executive Director of HAU, said: “This is truly a medical disaster for our community and we all need to be prepared to respond. Health Care Safety He said that bringing the entire net together in a meaningful way will help educate the state. .”
Oklahoma’s safety net providers are already working beyond capacity in an attempt to serve the existing 535,000 Oklahoma citizens without health insurance, Jones said.
“The sudden unenrollment from Medicaid of the additional 300,000 residents currently receiving Medicaid benefits risks pushing the safety net to breaking point and disabling these newly uninsured individuals. have no choice but to seek medical care from state hospital emergency departments when they become ill,” she said.
Sarah Barry, CEO of the Oklahoma Primary Care Association, said her organization’s 22 federally accredited health centers across the state collectively served more than 330,000 Oklahomans last year. and said about 150,000 of them were on Medicaid. The OKPCA expects more than 50,000 of them to lose Medicaid coverage.
“This is a very important issue for our medical center,” Barry said.
OKCPA is focused on helping those who have lost coverage maintain their coverage by submitting the proper paperwork if they are still eligible, Barry said. The goal of disqualified people is to connect them to compensation through another source.
“We have to act quickly so they don’t have gaps in coverage,” she said.
Employees whose insurance expired before July 10 may purchase insurance through their employer-sponsored health plan for 60 days from July 10. After July 10th, she must register within 60 days from the date the coverage was lost.
Barry said the purpose of the roundtable is to raise awareness in the business community about how Medicaid changes may affect employees and place greater demands on HR staff.
“Employees who get raises may now have too many to qualify for Medicaid and should be covered through you. Or they may have hired someone who is covered through Medicaid. Now I’ve lost that coverage and have to buy it from employer-sponsored health insurance,” she said.
Business Roundtable panelists include Traylor Raines, Medicaid Director for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority. Michael Figgins, CEO, Oklahoma Legal Aid Services. Julia Jernigan, Executive Director, Oklahoma Behavioral Health Association. Patti Davis, her CEO of the Oklahoma Hospital Association. Barry; and Jones.
The discussion will be moderated by Angela Monson, Outreach and Legislative Director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Employers, business owners and community members are encouraged to register at https://journalrecord.com/event/business-roundtable-discussion-how-reductions-in-medicaid-coverage-affect-your-business .
The event will be held at the Crossings Community Center at 10255 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Oklahoma City from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.
Representatives from the Health Alliance for the Uninsured and the Oklahoma Primary Care Association will be in attendance to provide immediate resources and set appointments.
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