For Immediate
Release: September 30, 2005
Sen. Tom Adelson
Federal Approval Opens Door to Health Insurance Coverage
for Thousands of Working Oklahomans
State Senator Tom
Adelson said Friday that the federal government’s approval
of the Oklahoma Premium Assistance Plan means thousands of currently
uninsured Oklahomans will soon have health insurance coverage
under what he called the “most innovative public-private
partnership in the history of Medicaid.”
“I am delighted with today’s announcement. Approximately
70,000 uninsured working Oklahomans will soon be covered by private
health insurance plans that in the past neither they nor their
employers could afford,” said Adelson, D-Tulsa. “Oklahoma
has taken a giant step toward becoming a healthier state.”
Tulsa has been promised $10 million to begin the program, the
Senator said.
Adelson was elected to the Senate in 2004 and serves as the chairman
of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Health and Human
Services, the body that oversees Oklahoma’s Medicaid budget.
Under the plan, businesses with 25 or fewer employees will be
given a voucher by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority that can
be used to help purchase private health insurance for their employees.
State dollars and federal Medicaid matching funds will pay 60
percent of the premiums. Employers will pay 25 percent with employees
picking up the remaining 15 percent.
The Senator said four insurance carriers have already signed up
for the plan and proposals from two others are pending.
“The Premium Assistance Program will make health insurance
an affordable benefit for both employers and their employees.
Having access to affordable, quality medical care will make workers
healthier and more productive. A more productive workforce means
a healthier bottom line for small businesses,” Adelson said.
Approximately 700,000 Oklahomans, almost one-fifth of the state’s
population, are uninsured. They rarely receive preventative care;
often wait until they are the sickest to seek medical attention;
and then receive care from the most expensive outlets, hospital
emergency rooms.
More than 70 percent of the uninsured in Oklahoma are employed
or are the dependents of uninsured workers.
“Faced with alarming increases in the cost of health insurance,
this is vital help for working families and small business and
could not come at a more important time,” Adelson said.
As Governor Brad Henry’s first Secretary of Health, Adelson
worked closely with the governor in developing and promoting the
Premium Assistance Program, which won Legislative approval in
May 2004. In November 2004, Oklahoma voters agreed to fund the
program with a portion of the revenue from an increase in the
state tobacco tax.
“I want to congratulate Governor Henry today. His leadership
and commitment to passage of both the Premium Assistance Program
and the tobacco tax increase have played a crucial role in creating
a healthier tomorrow for our state,” Adelson said.
