(St@teside Published June 22, 2007)

Oklahoma:

Governor Brad Henry (D) signed into law two bills designed to expand access to health insurance in June. The first bill, Senate Bill 424, expands the income eligibility from 185 percent FPL to 300 percent of FPL for children in Medicaid.

Under the All Kids Act, families with incomes between 185 percent FPL and 300 percent FPL are eligible to receive subsidies toward the cost of privately sponsored health insurance. Parents will pay a portion of the costs for the private health plan while the state and federal government will pay the remainder. If privately sponsored health insurance is not available, parents could buy into Medicaid, paying a portion of the premium and copayment costs. The income eligibility expansion could provide health insurance coverage to as many as 42,000 additional children and is expected to cost about $8.5 million over three years, to be funded through a tobacco tax.

Additionally, Governor Henry signed into law House Bill 1225, which would expand eligibility for the Insure Oklahoma program. Insure Oklahoma provides subsidies for businesses to purchase health insurance for their employees. Funded through the tobacco tax, the expansion will extend eligibility to businesses with 250 or fewer employees and workers who earn up to 250 percent FPL (from 50 or fewer employees and workers who earned no more than 185 percent FPL).