SoonerCare helps to provide affordable health-care access.
SoonerCare is Oklahoma's Medicaid program. The program is sponsored by the federal government and the state of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) is responsible for administering it. OHCA defines and enforces the eligibility guidelines. SoonerCare recipients are required to reside in the state of Oklahoma, be a U.S. citizen or have qualified alien status and comply with the program's income and resource guidelines.
Eligibility
In addition to meeting the required resident, citizenship and financial requirements, recipients must fall within a defined eligibility group. Eligibility groups include adults with children under age 19, minors under age 19, women who are pregnant, seniors age 65 and above, blind or disabled individuals and adults aged 19 years or older who require family planning services. Women under 65 years of age who require treatment for breast or cervical cancer are also eligible for SoonerCare, if they meet the income and resource guidelines.
Income and Resource Limits
The OHCA provides a table of income and resource limits based on your eligibility status and family size. As of 2010, if you are a nondisabled adult with two children, your annual income and resource limit is $5,652. If you are a family of six, the annual limit is $9,360. If you are a 19-year-old man or woman seeking family planning services, your annual income and resources may not exceed $20,036. If you are seeking such services and you have a family of four, your income and resource limit increases to $40,793. The annual limit for a disabled individual who is not living in an institution is $8,592.
Oklahoma Cares
Oklahoma Cares is a partnership of Oklahoma-based organizations that have come together to ensure affordable treatment for women with breast or cervical cancer. The organizations include the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), the Cherokee Nation, the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS). Eligibility guidelines include the presence of an abnormal Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program screening, income and asset levels that meet the SoonerCare guidelines, a lack of insurances to cover treatment for breast or cervical cancer, being under 65 years of age.
Medicare Recipients
Seniors age 65 and older and individuals with a qualified disability are covered by Medicare -- which is a federally sponsored health insurance program. If you are entitled to Medicare and your income and asset levels meet the SoonerCare guidelines, you may also qualify as a SoonerCare recipient. In such cases, SoonerCare benefits may be used to supplement out-of-pocket Medicare cost.
Tags: income resource, breast cervical, cervical cancer, annual income, annual limit