Thursday, December 8, 2022 - A Public Health Emergency (PHE) was declared at the beginning of the COVID pandemic by the federal government. During the PHE, the State of Oklahoma has been required to continue SoonerCare coverage for all members even if they no longer qualify for benefits.
Since the PHE was issued, it has been extended several times. However, once the PHE expires, changes will take place for those who currently receive SoonerCare benefits.
Once the date is released, notifications will be sent out to those who no longer qualify for SoonerCare benefits. Ineligible individuals will begin to be removed from SoonerCare in phases.
Reasons that may determine an individual’s ineligibility include the following:
· Households that have a higher salary than the required amount to receive benefits
· Change in the number of household members
· Contact information or documents are not updated at mysoonercare.org
Those who are no longer eligible will receive four notices. The first letter will be printed on purple paper and will announce the end of the PHE. The member’s end date and the reason for the removal will not be posted on this letter. All members will see an end date of January 31, 2023, on their electronic portal until the second letter is sent with more detailed information.
The second letter will be printed on white paper and sent to all affected members, detailing their end date and the reason for removal. Individuals' new end date will be reflected in the electronic portal.
The third letter will also be printed on white paper and sent to all affected members 45 days prior to their scheduled end date. The letter will inform members of the reason for loss of eligibility, potentially missing documents to verify eligibility, and appeal rights.
A fourth letter will be sent 10 days before a member loses eligibility.
Members should take time to think about their health care needs and plan in case their SoonerCare coverage ends. To learn more, you can visit www.MySoonerCare.org.
Lindsie Dyer, Staff Writer
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