Oklahoma 2024 2024 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1752 Introduced / Bill

Filed 01/17/2024

                     
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024) 
 
SENATE BILL 1752 	By: Garvin 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to the state Medicaid program; 
amending Section 1, Chapter 309, O.S.L. 2022 (36 O.S. 
Supp. 2023, Section 6012) , which relates to health 
care plan recognition ; modifying certain authority of 
the Insurance Department; requiring the Department to 
recognize certain health care plans for specified 
purpose; modifying conditions for recognition; 
amending 56 O.S. 2021, Section 1010 .1, as amended by 
Section 2, Chapter 309, O.S.L. 2022 (56 O.S. Supp. 
2023, Section 1010.1), which relates to premium 
assistance program; modifying certain deadline and 
requirements for participation by certain health care 
plans; updating statutory referenc e; providing an 
effective date; and declaring an emergency. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     Section 1, Chapter 309, O.S.L. 
2022 (36 O.S. Supp. 2023, Section 6012), is amended to read as 
follows: 
Section 6012. A health care plan recognized by the The 
Insurance Department that participates shall recognize self-funded 
or self-insured health care plan s for the exclusive purpose of 
participation in the premium assistance program created under 
Section 1010.1 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes as of the   
 
 
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effective date of this act that at a lat er date becomes a self-
funded or self-insured health care plan may continue to be 
recognized by the Insurance Department as a health care plan if such 
plan meets if such plans meet the requirements under subsection J of 
Section 1010.1 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes . The A self-
funded or self-insured health care plan recognized by the Department 
under this section shall only be considered a health care plan for 
the exclusive purposes of the premium assistance program created 
under Section 1010.1 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes. 
SECTION 2.     AMENDATORY     56 O.S. 2021, Section 1010.1, as 
amended by Section 2, Chapt er 309, O.S.L. 2022 (56 O.S. Supp. 2023, 
Section 1010.1), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 1010.1. A.  Section 1010.1 et seq. of this title shall 
be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma Medicaid Program Reform 
Act of 2003”. 
B.  Recognizing that many Oklahomans do not have health care 
benefits or health care coverage, that many small bu sinesses cannot 
afford to provide health care benefits to their employees, and that, 
under federal law, barriers exi st to providing Medicaid benefits to 
the uninsured, the Legislature hereby establish es provisions to 
lower the number of uninsur ed, assist businesses in the ir ability to 
afford health care benefits and coverage for their employees, and 
eliminate barriers to providing health coverage to eligible 
enrollees under federal law.   
 
 
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C.  Unless otherwise provided by law, the Oklahoma Health Care 
Authority shall provide coverage under the state Medicaid program to 
children under the age of eighteen (18) years whose family incomes 
do not exceed one hundred eighty-five percent (185%) of the federal 
poverty level. 
D.  1. The Authority is directed to apply for a waiver or 
waivers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that 
will accomplish the purposes outlined in subsection B of this 
section.  The Author ity is further directed to negotiate with CMS to 
include in the waiver authority provisions to: 
a. increase access to health care for Oklahomans, 
b. reform the Oklahoma Medicaid Pr ogram to promote 
personal responsibility for health care services and 
appropriate utilization of health care benefits 
through the use of pub lic-private cost sharing, 
c. enable small employers, and/or employ ed, uninsured 
adults with or without children to p urchase employer-
sponsored, state-approved private, or state-sponsored 
health care coverage through a state premium 
assistance payment plan.  If by January 1, 2012, the 
Employer/Employee Partnership for Ins urance Coverage 
Premium Assistance Program is not consuming more than 
seventy-five percent (75%) of its dedicated source of   
 
 
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funding, then the program will be expanded to include 
parents of children eligible for Medicaid, and 
d. develop flexible health care benefit packages based 
upon patient need and cost . 
2.  The Authority may phase in any waiver or waivers it receives 
based upon available funding. 
3.  The Authority is authorized to develop and implement a 
premium assistance plan to assist small businesses and/or their 
eligible employees to purchase emp loyer-sponsored insurance or “buy-
in” to a state-sponsored benefit plan. 
4. a. The Authority is authorized to seek from the Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services any waivers or 
amendments to existing wai vers necessary to accomplish 
an expansion of the premium assistance program to: 
(1) include for-profit employers with two hund red 
fifty employees or less up to any level supported 
by existing funding resources, and 
(2) include not-for-profit employers with five 
hundred employees or less up to any lev el 
supported by existing fundin g resources. 
b. Foster parents employed by employe rs with greater than 
two hundred fifty employees shall be exempt from the 
qualifying employer requirement p rovided for in this 
paragraph and shall be eligible to qualify for the   
 
 
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premium assistance program provided for in this 
section if supported by existi ng funding. 
E.  For purposes of this paragraph, “for-profit employer” shall 
mean an entity which is not exe mpt from taxation pursu ant to the 
provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and 
“not-for-profit employer” shall mean an entity whi ch is exempt from 
taxation pursuant to the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code. 
F. The Authority is auth orized to seek from the Centers for 
Medicare and Medicaid Services any waivers or amendments to existing 
waivers necessary to accomplish an extension of the premium 
assistance program to inc lude qualified employees whose family 
income does not exceed two h undred fifty percent (250%) of the 
federal poverty level, subject to the lim it of federal financial 
participation. 
G.  The Authority is authorized to create as part of the premium 
assistance program an option to purchase a high -deductible health 
insurance plan that is compatible with a health savings account. 
H.  1.  There is hereby created in the State Treasury a 
revolving fund to be designated the “Health Employee and Economy 
Improvement Act (HEEIA) Revolving Fund ”. 
2.  The fund shall be a continuing fund , not subject to fiscal 
year limitations, and shall consist of:   
 
 
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a. all monies received by the Authority pursuant to this 
section and otherwise specified or authorized by law, 
b. monies received by the Authority due to federal 
financial participation pursua nt to Title XIX of the 
Social Security Act, and 
c. interest attributable to investment of money in the 
fund. 
3.  All monies accruing to the credit of the fund are hereby 
appropriated and sha ll be budgeted and expend ed by the Authority to 
implement a premium assistance plan and to fund the state share for 
the Oklahoma Medicaid prog ram on or after July 1, 2020, unless 
otherwise provided by law. 
I.  1.  The Authority shall establish a procedure for verifying 
an applicant’s individual income by utilizing available Oklahoma Tax 
Commission records, new hire report data collected by the Oklahoma 
Employment Security Commission, and child support payment data 
collected by the Department of Human Services in accordance with 
federal and state law. 
2.  The Oklahoma Tax Commission, Oklaho ma Employment Security 
Commission, and Department of Human Services shall coope rate in 
accordance with federal and state law with the Authority to 
establish procedures for the secure elec tronic transmission of an 
applicant’s individual income data to the Au thority.   
 
 
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3.  The Department of Public Safety shall cooperate in 
accordance with federal and state law with the Authority to 
establish procedures for the secure electronic transmission of an 
applicant’s individual identification data to the Authority. 
J.  A health care plan An employer participating in the premium 
assistance program created unde r this section as of the effective 
date of this act that at a later date becomes November 1, 2024, may 
utilize a self-funded or self-insured health care plan may continue 
to participate in the premium assistance p rogram as a participating 
health care plan if: 
1.  The health care plan has continuously participated in the 
premium assistance program without interruption up to the date it 
becomes a self-funded or self-insured health care plan; 
2. The self-funded or self-insured health care plan continues 
to be recognized as a health care plan is recognized by the 
Insurance Department under Section 1 of this act Section 6012 of 
Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes ; 
3. 2.  The self-funded or self-insured health care plan 
continues to cover covers all essential health benefits as required 
by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Authority and all 
other health benefits required under applicable federal laws; 
3.  The self-funded or self-insured health care plan otherwise 
complies with all applicable federal laws including but n ot limited 
to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) ; and   
 
 
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4.  The Authority receives the necessary federal appr oval for 
self-funded or self-insured health care plans to participate in the 
premium assistance program. 
SECTION 3.  This act shall become effective July 1, 2024. 
SECTION 4.  It being immediately necessary for the preservation 
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby 
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take ef fect and 
be in full force from and after its passage and approval. 
 
59-2-2774 DC 1/17/2024 10:49:15 AM