Medicaid Expansion Adults to Move to SoonerCare Choice
Pending federal approval, Oklahoma Health Care Authority will move adults enrolled under Medicaid expansion from SoonerCare Traditional to SoonerCare Choice this fall. Before the Oklahoma Supreme Court halted the transition to managed care, new enrollees would have been assigned to managed care plans in October. SoonerCare Choice, a Primary Care Case Management (PCCM) program in which each member has a medical home, is the program to which the majority of Oklahoma Medicaid members belong.
Members will be sent a letter asking them to log into the PCP selection module on mysoonercare.org and select their PCP. If the member has not yet selected a PCP within 30 days, OHCA will send a reminder notice and give them the 5 closest PCPs to their address to choose from. They repeat this twice up to 90 days. Members will not be auto-assigned a PCP—if the member does not ultimately choose a PCP, they will continue to go without a PCP.
State Lawmakers Ask Governor to Prohibit Vaccine Mandates
Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) and 19 other House Republicans sent a letter last week to Gov. Kevin Stitt requesting he issue an executive order prohibiting vaccine mandates for health care workers or call a special session for legislators to pass one. A spokesperson for the governor has not commented on the request, and multiple legislative leaders' offices have said they do not know of any plans for such an order.
Marketplace Special Enrollment Period Ends August 15
The HealthCare.Gov Marketplace enrollment period ends August 15, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released several new resources to help organizations promote the final weeks of enrollment. Check out their new Summer Sprint Partner Toolkit which includes updated messaging an social media posts.
More resources can be found in the Week of Action Communications Toolkit which includes talking points, messaging, and a template article that can be customized for your organization.