Blue Cross Big Player in State Program

By Bloomberg, AP and Staff Reports

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, in partnership with the state’s new premium assistance program, is helping small businesses cut the number of uninsured Oklahomans.

The Oklahoma Employer/Employee Partnership for Insurance Coverage (O-EPIC) Premium Assistance Program assists small business owners in providing health insurance for employees.

Since November, 181 businesses have qualified for the O-EPIC program, and more than 91 percent of them have chosen a qualified health plan offered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, according to a news release from the insurer.

Many of the employers previously did not offer health insurance to their employees, Blue Cross said.

Oklahoma Health Care Authority officials said the program could help an estimated 70,000 Oklahomans who are currently uninsured.

“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma understands the impact rising health care costs have on the ability of all Oklahomans to afford quality health care coverage, especially those people who work for and operate small businesses,” said Wyndham Kidd, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.

The O-EPIC program is available to all Oklahoma employers with 25 or fewer employees, including those that currently offer health insurance coverage.

Premium assistance is available for employees and their spouses with annual household incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. For example, a family of four must have a total income at or below $35,797.

Participating employers, as well as employees, are required to pay a portion of the premiums, and employees are responsible for any deductibles and co-payments. Employers are required to contribute 25 percent of the premium amounts, while individuals pay up to 15 percent, and state and federal governments pay the remaining share.

O-EPIC is the first phase of the statewide Insure Oklahoma initiative. Revenues from the state’s tobacco tax increase, which was approved in November 2004, help fund the O-EPIC program.

Applications for the O-EPIC program are available online at www.oepic.ok.gov.