Rob:  Well thank you Hannah, nice story, and it sounds like a great program.  Well, sadly, not everyone who qualifies for state sponsored health coverage is enrolled.  Estimates are close to half of the children who qualify for Sooner Care have not been enrolled by their parents.  The executive director of Oklahoma Smart Start says, too often working parents are reluctant to take advantage of the service.  
I’ll give you an example.  You could be a single mother with two children, and you might be a public school teacher.  And as that public school teacher, what you’re currently making would allow you to be eligible under those eligibility guidelines.  But, what we find oftentimes is those that are in a profession like that, they may not be willing to go out and access that, because it’s something that’s free of charge that’s provided to them.  You know, they’re a professional, and they want to be able to afford and pay for that, themselves.  But you know, our state has created a wonderful health insurance program that is available to those families.  And we need our children to be accessing those, to insure that our kids are healthy and arrive at school ready to go.
Rob:  So to help boost enrollment, this fall a new online application process is being put in place.  To learn more about how to get help with the cost of health coverage, check out our links on our website under this week’s stories.
Rob:  Here in the U S we spend roughly 50-percent more on healthcare than any other country in the world, an expense not everyone can afford.  Forty-seven million Americans are now without health insurance, and such lack of coverage is believed to cost our economy, in lost productivity, up to 130-billion dollars each year.  Today, our focus is on the issue of healthcare availability, and we begin with a novel Oklahoma program to help subsidize health insurance for low-income employees.  Here’s our Hannah Wright.
Hannah:  In the past, Patrick Hutchinson has found it hard to supply group insurance for his employees. 
Patrick Hutchinson:  The company paid 80% of the employee premium, and the employee had to pay 20% of their premium.  But they had to pay 100% of any premiums for dependants or spouses.  And even at that, with the company taking most of the burden off of the premium, it was still a struggle for some of our employees to afford insurance. 
Hannah:  And many employees of Hutchinson Products simply didn’t accept the insurance, because they still couldn’t afford it.  But, in recent years, things have been a little easier for Hutchinson, and his employees, thanks to a program called Insure Oklahoma.  Oklahoma Healthcare Authority’s CEO, Mike Fogarty. 
Mike Fogarty:  As you know, we’re literally in a crisis, both nationally but in particular in Oklahoma, with people not being able to access healthcare, because they can’t access affordable insurance to cover the cost of healthcare.  So, it’s a devastating situation.
Hannah:  Basically, Insure Oklahoma offers subsidies to the employer offering healthcare benefits.  And, it eases the premiums both the employer and the employee have to pay. 
Fogarty:  If the employer offers a commercial plan, then the employer pays a small percentage, 25% of the premium.  The employee pays 15% of the premium, and then the program subsidizes the balance, the 60%.  So, it just really makes the difference between whether people can afford to access that insurance, or they can’t.
Hannah:  And unlike most commercial plans, the employee’s spouse and dependants can be covered on the same plan at the same percentage breakdown.  On average in Oklahoma, an employee and their spouse earning the states median income of $37,000 would pay 33-percent off the top toward an insurance policy. 
Fogarty:  It would take a third of that gross income to purchase a policy that would cover an employee and their spouse, or an employee and spouse and child.  Well obviously, that’s just unobtainable.  A minimum wage employee, it would cost more than they make to access commercial health insurance.
Hannah:  Fogarty says one-in-every-five Oklahomans does not have healthcare, and 80% of those people are working adults.   
Fogarty:  The objective through Insure Oklahoma is simply to make it affordable for those people to participate. 
Hannah:  And employees who are insured because of this program are relieved to know they’re protected by a plan that’s easy on their pocketbook. 
Cynthia Lankster:  It’s just a big relief, you know; knowing that if something’s wrong with my daughter or I, that we can to go the doctor, you know; you don’t have to, it’s something I can afford.
Patrick Hutchinson:  That helps them be able to afford insurance that they really need, health insurance.  It helps them get their spouse coverage if they need it, which has been really big for some of our people.  And it also helps the company because it relieves some of that premium burden from the company, so we have more money to work with for benefits and other programs that we have.
Hannah:  With so much available assistance, some may be wondering where all of this money is actually coming from.
Mike Fogarty:  We fund this with state dollars that, as you know, were raised by a vote of the people when they voted to have a tax on tobacco products; so that raises the state money.  But, for every dollar the state raises, the federal government through the Medicaid program, the federal Medicaid program, gives us another two.
Hannah:  Money most involved believe is very well spent. 
Patrick Hutchinson:  It’s a great program.  And it has really benefited our people.
Rob:  So Hannah, what has been the reception for the Insure Oklahoma program?
Hannah:  Well, Rob, the response to the program, since it began in 2005, has been really positive.  It’s had some time to grow and adapt and is now receiving national recognition.  Some even say it should be used as a model for our national healthcare system.
Rob:  So, tell me, who exactly is eligible for Insure Oklahoma?
Hannah:  For employers, it’s those with less than fifty employees that provide commercial healthcare packages.  Now for individuals, it's someone who makes less than twice the poverty level, which in Oklahoma is just over 20,000-dollars.  But, even with these guidelines, more people are eligible than you think.
Rob:  And it really sounds like, Hannah, that not having insurance is more than a social problem; it’s really become an economic problem as well.
Hannah:  That’s right, Rob.  And here’s what’s really sad.  Charges for services may actually be higher for the uninsured in comparison to patients with insurance plans.  And that's because insurance companies have negotiated lower fees with providers.
Rob:  And it really sounds that this is a problem that’s truly costing us all.
Hannah:  That’s exactly right, according to a recent report, just covering the bills of the uninsured increases the annual health premiums for those with insurance, by about $922 per year.