Bill to Include Veterans
in State's O-EPIC Program Approved
As many as 26,000 Oklahoma veterans
are uninsured, but that could soon change thanks
to the efforts of State Sen. Andrew
Rice. The Oklahoma City Democrat’s legislation,
Senate Bill 59, was unanimously approved Wednesday
by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“This is an issue that can’t be ignored
any longer. Most people believe that veterans
automatically qualify for free health care, but
they don’t. Many make too much to qualify
for Medicaid or means-tested VA care, but don’t
make enough to pay for private insurance,”
said Rice. “It’s shameful, we have
men and women who have risked their lives for
our country who don’t have adequate access
to healthcare, but hopefully we can get this problem
fixed this session.”
Senate Bill 59 would expand the Oklahoma Employer/Employee
Partnership for Insurance Coverage Program (O-EPIC),
also known as the Insure Oklahoma program, to
include certain qualified veterans. Veterans would
be included under the Individual Plan of the program,
which currently provides coverage to more than
5,200 Oklahomans.
“These individuals deserve our utmost respect
for their service. Our words and actions often
fall short in conveying our tremendous gratitude
to our veterans,” said Rice. “I think
the least we can do for them is ensure that they
have adequate health care. The costs that would
be incurred to the state cannot even be compared
to the sacrifices of our soldiers.”
Like other participants in the Individual
Plan, veterans would pay a portion of their monthly
premiums based on their annual household income.
For individuals, this can be up to $51 or around
$69 for an individual and a spouse.
In order to qualify, a veteran would have to be
an Oklahoma resident between the ages of 19 and
64 with a household income no greater than the
sum of an amount equal to 25 percent of the federal
poverty level or an amount equal to the federal
Veterans Health Administration means test income
threshold when entering the program. The person
could not be on active duty or have been dishonorably
discharged from service. The individual would
also have had to been uninsured for at least six
months unless the person lost coverage because
his or her military post-active duty benefits
expired or the individual lost his or her employee-sponsored
plan due to being laid off or the employer no
longer offered the benefits.
For more information contact:
Sen. Rice's Office: 405-521-5610