OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma’s Medicaid agency is warning its SoonerCare members to keep current their address on file with the agency or risk losing their health care benefits.
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority sent out a public reminder Wednesday of the new rule that was signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt last week. The agency says it intends to launch outreach efforts through social media and through outbound phone calls to SoonerCare recipients after hours and on weekends.
Agency officials say the new rule is needed to comply with federal guidelines. But advocates for the poor have criticized the policy, saying low-income people move more frequently and that many members will be wrongfully cut from the programs.
About 20 percent of Oklahoma’s population, more than two-thirds of them children, currently are enrolled in Medicaid .
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