OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) will hold a series of webinar events for Oklahomans who are eligible for Medicare. OID will kick off the six-week webinar series on October 6, 2020. Participants can sign up for one or all of the six webinars. Each webinar is free, but registration is required.

The webinar series will educate Oklahomans on the different parts of Medicare, eligibility, enrollment options, and how they can personalize their Medicare plan based on their needs. This virtual event will consist of six educational sessions led by five expert speakers who are from various fields such as the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, the Social Security Administration in Oklahoma and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Dallas Regional Office. 

“With the Medicare Open Enrollment Period fast approaching and the pandemic still affecting our daily lives, it’s important to get information from reliable sources. These webinars will help Oklahoma consumers better understand their Medicare options and make the right choice,” Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said. 

“Navigating Medicare can be confusing and overwhelming at times; that’s why we are hosting these events,” said Director of the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP), Ray Walker. “MAP offers one-on-one counseling and information. All services are free, unbiased and confidential. You can call us to make an appointment to speak with a trained counselor.”

In addition to the staff counselors within the department, MAP contacts with several agencies around the state to provide the same types of Medicare education and support. You can find a list of these agencies at www.map.oid.ok.gov.

Below is the schedule of Getting Ready for Medicare Open Enrollment Webinar Series: 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready released the following statement regarding the recent announcement by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority’s (OHCA) decision to retain and modify the Insure Oklahoma’s Employee Sponsored Insurance program:

“I applaud OHCA and CEO Kevin Corbett in their decision to retain the Employee Sponsored Insurance program under Insure Oklahoma. This important commitment is a big win for small employers in Oklahoma and will allow almost ten thousand employees to keep their health coverage in private small group plans.”

“I have been involved with this program since it was established in 2005 and the success of this model has benefited many small businesses and employees over the last fifteen years. Amid the pandemic, it is more important than ever for working Oklahomans to have access to this affordable insurance option. We are thankful to our partner agency for ensuring affordable coverage options remain available.” 

OKLAHOMA CITY – In January, regulators in Pennsylvania put midsize long-term care insurance (LTCI) issuer, Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (SHIP), in rehabilitation by court order. In response to this court order, the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) sent out the letter last week to over 900 Oklahoma consumers with LTCI policies with SHIP to offer help and guidance.

Even though OID is not the SHIP Rehabilitation Plan administrator, Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready encouraged consumers to contact the department if they need additional assistance.

“Long-term care policies can be confusing,” said Mulready. “Our website has resources that may be helpful as you review your options. You can also call our Consumer Assistance team if you have questions or concerns.”

According to the letter, there will be more changes, yet unannounced that the policyholders should be watching. Mulready advised the policyholders to keep their policy in-force and continue to pay their premiums to avoid cancellation of their policies and loss coverage as they await these changes.

“Our number one priority is consumer protection. We’ve been monitoring the rehabilitation activities on Oklahomans’ behalf and are considering other actions to protect the policyholders’ rights and interests,” Mulready added. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready announced today the 2021 preliminary rate filings for health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Insurers that currently offer coverage through the Oklahoma Marketplace filed plans requesting average statewide increases of 2.7 percent.

The same three insurers that offered individual health plans on the 2020 Exchange will return for 2021 — Blue Cross Shield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) , Bright Health and Medica Insurance Company. In addition, Oscar Health, UnitedHealthCare (UHC) and CommunityCare Oklahoma (CCOK) will join the marketplace in Oklahoma for 2021 allowing consumers to have more choices. BCBSOK and Medica offer statewide plans while Bright Health, CCOK, Oscar and UHC serve limited areas of the state.

Moderate rate increase requests and new insurers looking to offer plans in Oklahoma revealed that the Oklahoma insurance market is stable and able to offer multiple health insurance options for all Oklahomans.

“Creating more choices for consumers has been a top priority of mine and it is encouraging to see more insurers enter the Oklahoma market and another year of modest rate change requests. It demonstrates our efforts to stabilize and improve affordability in this market have been working,” Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said. “Oklahoma continues to have a healthy, competitive individual health insurance market, and insurers are committed to providing more options for Oklahomans who seek health insurance on the Marketplace.”

Rate filings for 2021 health insurance plans were approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services(CMS) and are posted at https://ratereview.healthcare.gov/. Final approved rates will be made public in September.

If you have questions about other insurance issues, contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov. 

“We appreciate the collaborative efforts of our partners to make this possible. We will continue to provide opportunities for Oklahomans to stay engaged with us during these trying times,” Medicare Assistance Program’s Director Ray Walker said.

A recording of the entire conference is now available at www.oid.ok.gov/hoodwinked/ 

If you have questions about other insurance issues, contact the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 1-800-522-0071 or visit our website at www.oid.ok.gov.  

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2020

Life Insurance Policy Locator Provides Over $13 Million to Oklahoma Consumers Since 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – Each year, millions of dollars in life insurance benefits go unclaimed by beneficiaries who can’t find their deceased loved ones’ policies or, in some cases, may not even know the policies exist. Since 2016, the Life Insurance Policy Locator, launched by the Oklahoma Insurance Department through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, has helped 3,972 Oklahoman requests, which has led to 1,142 matches with a total claim amount of $13,109,451. 

“Unclaimed life insurance policies are more common than you would think,” said Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready. “With this free nationwide service, families who are left scrambling to track down a lost life insurance policy after the death of a loved one now have an easier way to search for policies and annuities.”   

The policy locator requests are secure, confidential and free. Any matches found by participating insurers are reported to state insurance agencies through the Life Policy Locator. The companies then are responsible for contacting beneficiaries. 

For more information on the Life Insurance Policy Locator, visit https://www.oid.ok.gov/