Work requirements make for bad policy
According to America’s Health Rankings, Oklahoma slipped to 47th in overall health in 2018, down from 43rd in 2017. Oklahoma is among the last states that continue to reject federal funding to expand Medicaid. Due in large part to this, Oklahoma has one of the nation's highest uninsured rates. By these numbers, it is safe to say that Oklahoma is not doing fine. A proposal sent to the federal government by the state could make it worse.
In 2018, then-Gov. Mary Fallinand the Legislature ordered the state’s Medicaid agency to make a plan to terminate SoonerCare coverage for parents who don’t correctly report their work hours. As the only health insurance option available to very low-income families, SoonerCare allows thousands of Oklahoma households to see a doctor or fill a prescription. If the state’s plan is approved by the federal government, their coverage would be in jeopardy, worsening Oklahoma’s health crisis.
This is disastrous public health policy. The state Medicaid agency at one point estimated that at least 6,000 Oklahomans — most of them single mothers — would be affected if this proposal were approved, though this number may be higher. The irony is that most SoonerCare members are already working, but in jobs that don’t pay enough for them to get ahead. SoonerCare enrollees who aren't working typically have good reason: a disability, a medical condition, inability to find a steady job, or they are caring for an ill family member. SoonerCare members may not meet the state’s work reporting requirement for any number of reasons — but they could lose their coverage all the same.
As a pediatrician, I fear the ramifications of work requirements on my families. I fear for my patients in rural Oklahoma, where job opportunities are scarce but where more people depend on SoonerCare. I fear for my single mothers who could be forced into suboptimal childcare solutions to try to work more hours. I fear for a father, once the head of the household and now unemployed and unable to work after a massive stroke. And I fear for my pediatric patients with chronic illnesses who may not be disabled but who require constant care from a parent.
Data shows that when parents lose health coverage, their children often do as well. Oklahoma already has the fourth-highest rate of uninsured children in the country. We can’t afford for this number to grow. Years ago, my husband and I were uninsured students living off student loans to finish our degrees. An unexpected pregnancy could have sent us into a financial tailspin, but instead SoonerCare allowed us both to complete our education while ensuring excellent care for our son. Now I am able to provide SoonerCare families the care they deserve. I see every day how my patient families depend on Medicaid to get healthy and stay healthy.
If our state leaders are serious about becoming a top 10 state, cutting health coverage for parents who don’t meet a work requirement is not the answer. Instead, we must focus on increasing access to care for all Oklahomans. Go to www.oksays.com by Friday to tell the federal government why this harmful proposal must be rejected.