Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Don’t take health coverage from low-income parents. Oppose HB 3556.

HB 3556 would end SoonerCare coverage for low-income parents who fail to complete work, training, or volunteer requirements.

Talking points 

SoonerCare is how we ensure that very low-income Oklahomans can get a flu shot or see a doctor. It is not a jobs program, and losing access to that health care will only make it more difficult for Oklahomans to stay healthy enough to get or keep a job.

Work requirements will force Oklahomans to navigate extra bureaucracy to prove they qualify for SoonerCare. Oklahomans who cannot successfully navigate that bureaucracy due to lack of time, education, transportation, or other resources will lose coverage, even when they should legally be qualified. This may also result in children losing coverage, because children are more likely to be covered when their parents are.

A SoonerCare work requirement will hurt many Oklahomans who are already working. Low-wage jobs often come with limited, unreliable hours. Many of these jobs are also seasonal. Oklahomans who have inconsistent employment through no fault of their own could lose their health coverage under HB 3556.

This bill will make it harder for low-income parents to work. If these parents lose their SoonerCare coverage and then get sick, or can't afford treatment for a chronic condition like asthma, they'll be less able to work — and their whole family will suffer as a result. 

Most people on Medicaid who can work, already do work. Two in three SoonerCare members are children. The next largest group (17 percent) are Oklahomans who are aged, blind, or have a disability. Just 1 in 10 are non-disabled, working-age adults, and all of these are parents living in deep poverty - less than $12,000 per year for a family of four. Among these small number of parents who aren’t working, most have barriers to employment that a work requirement won’t fix, from persistent illness to responsibilities caring for a child or elderly parent. Two in three are mothers.

The Bottom Line

HB 3556 won’t meaningfully help the budget or get more people into the workforce. Oklahoma has better options to increase working, like investing in high-quality, affordable child care so adults can go to a job and know their kids will be safe; reducing barriers that prevent the more than 1 in 12 Oklahomans with a felony conviction from getting back into the workforce; and making higher education and jobs training more accessible and affordable.

Where things stand (as of 02/27/18)

HB 3556 is scheduled to be heard in the House Rules committee on Wednesday, February 28th, at 2pm. Please contact members of the House Rules committee and ask them to vote against HB 3556. Speaking out on this bill now is especially important if you live in the district of one of these legislators:

The post Don’t take health coverage from low-income parents. Oppose HB 3556. appeared first on Oklahoma Policy Institute.


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