OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Complete Health announced recently that it will provide managed care for the SoonerSelect and SoonerSelect Specialty Children’s Plan programs under a contract with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.
SoonerSelect provides health care, as well as pharmacy benefits, to more than 550,000 Oklahoma Medicaid recipients, with an estimated 200,000 additional Oklahomans who will gain coverage through Medicaid expansion in July, Oklahoma Complete Health said in a news release.
“We are thrilled to be working with the state of Oklahoma and our Oklahoma providers and partners, on the state’s transition to value-based care, and to help provide quality health care through Oklahoma’s new SoonerSelect program for Medicaid beneficiaries,” said Brent Layton, executive vice president of markets, products and international and chief business development officer of the health care company Centene Corp. “We believe that health care is best delivered locally and in the coming months, we expect to hire over 500 local Oklahoma staff [and] continue to build community partnerships and localize national best practices for Oklahoma.”
Centene is the parent company of Oklahoma Complete Health.
Oklahoma Complete Health will leverage the experience of Centene, which currently serves 13 million Medicaid enrollees in 30 states, according to the news release.
The SoonerSelect Specialty Children’s plan provides behavioral health, physical health and pharmacy benefits to children in the juvenile justice system and those served by the Department of Human Services, including children in foster care and receiving adoption assistance.
“Oklahoma Complete Health is backed by the nation’s leading managed care provider of foster care services, with experience in serving nearly 230,000 children and youths, bringing unparalleled experience in improving the health outcomes of programs serving child welfare and foster care populations,” Layton said. “We are pleased to be able to expand our programs and services here in Oklahoma, including through the SoonerSelect Specialty Children’s Plan, and look forward to partnering with the OHCA and other state agencies to improve health outcomes and strengthen support to the children and families in the program.”
The SoonerSelect and SoonerSelect Specialty Children’s Plan Program will begin in mid to late fall.