OKLAHOMA CITY – As 2026 begins, the topic of insurance affordability and what can be done to keep costs from going up is top-of-mind. While much of that discussion will occur at the federal level and involves adults, there are things occurring locally which can assist many Oklahoma youth.

For the past several years, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) has promoted the work of My OK Plan, a nonprofit program operated by Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma (LASO), Inc. Their team of local assisters are real people who are standing by to assist Oklahomans statewide, at no cost, in finding the health insurance coverage that works for them. You can get information on the program on the front page of our website at oica.org.

This effort is a funded project through a federal grant administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Under this grant, our two organizations have promoted awareness of SoonerCare/SoonerSelect coverage.

SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) is a health insurance program

people/families to receive coverage provided by the state. SoonerSelect is Oklahoma’s managed care program for SoonerCare, implemented by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) and operated through plans provided by selected insurance providers.

To qualify for SoonerCare/