For Release: May 17, 2012 - Pamela Williams, Office of Communications - 405/271-5601

Oklahoma Health Equity Campaign to Discuss Oklahoma Temporary High Risk Pool

Oklahoma Health Equity Campaign (OHEC) partners will meet Thursday, May 24, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), 1000 N.E. 10^th St., room 806 in Oklahoma City.

Tanya Case, executive director of the Oklahoma Temporary High Risk Pool, will discuss “Oklahoma Temporary High Risk Pool:  A health plan for Oklahomans who have been unable to obtain commercial insurance due to a pre-existing condition(s).” 

Although estimates indicate 80 percent of the uninsured are at 400 percent of poverty or below, there are individuals who can pay for insurance, but have been unable to obtain it due to their pre-existing medical condition(s). These individuals may not be aware of the opportunities for insurance available through Oklahoma’s Temporary High Risk Pool.  Case’s presentation will provide the participants with the basic information about the Pool including who qualifies, how they qualify, the application process, the premium rates and how they are derived, the Pool  benefits (both medical and pharmacy), who governs the Pool, and who provides customer service.  Condition/disease management and case management will be discussed along with research showing that persons who are insured live longer than those who are uninsured. 

Case has worked in health care in Oklahoma for 32 years and has held various leadership positions in nursing and health policy. She is active in various community organizations in Lawton and Duncan.

To join the meeting by videoconference from your local county health department, please call (405) 271-9444, ext. 56410 before noon Tuesday, May 22.  For more information about OHEC or the upcoming meeting, contact: Marisa New, director, OSDH Health Equity & Resource Opportunities Division at (405) 271-9444, ext. 56410. 

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health equity in public health literature and practice as the opportunity for everyone to attain their full health potential. No one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance. CDC further defines social determinants of health as life-enhancing resources, such as food supply, housing, economic and social relationships, transportation, education, and health care, whose distribution across populations effectively determines length and quality of life.