News Release

March 24, 2005

Contact: Jo Kilgore, Public Information Manager, (405) 522-7474.

Family planning services to begin April 1

Oklahoma City – Low income, uninsured women and men will be able to receive family planning services under a new program that will be implemented April 1 by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA).

Additional eligibility requirements for the new program, SoonerPlan, stipulate that the applicants be residents of Oklahoma who are age 19 or older and be U.S. citizens or qualified aliens. They must have no health insurance coverage for family planning and not be eligible for regular Medicaid. They must also meet income guidelines.

The program will pay for office visits and physical exams related to family planning, birth control information and supplies, laboratory tests related to family planning services (this includes pap smears and screening for sexually transmitted infections), tubal ligations for women age 21 and older, pregnancy tests and vasectomies for men age 21 and older.

SoonerPlan services are available through any Medicaid provider who offers family planning services. Although additional medical services are not covered under SoonerPlan, the OHCA will provide referral information about where recipients may obtain needed medical services at their own expense.

Applications for SoonerPlan are available at local health departments; Oklahoma Department of Human Services county offices; family planning providers and clinics; the OHCA Web site, www.okhca.org; or by calling the OHCA at 1-800-987-7767 or 1-800-757-5979 (TDD) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Translation services are available.

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