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Source: Tulsa World, Okla.迷利倉Nov. 08--More than 250,000 people in Oklahoma are eligible for subsidies to purchase insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.The study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine how many people in each state would qualify for reduced insurance premiums under the law.The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy organization with offices in California and Washington, D.C. It is not affiliated with Tulsa's George Kaiser Family Foundation.The study found that 256,000 people in Oklahoma would be eligible for a subsidy to purchase health insurance. The state ranked 22nd nationally in the number of residents eligible for subsidies.Texas, where about 1 in 4 people lack health insurance, ranked No. 1.Nationally, the study estimated that more than 17 million people are eligible for the subsidies.Although more than 600,000 people in Oklahoma lack health insurance, the study removed several groups of people from the pool who would not qualify for coverage. Those groups include people covered by Medicaid or an employer's policy, undocumented immigrants and people who fall into a gap created when the state rejected an expansion of Medicaid.About 150,000 people in the state -- mostly low-income adults who are not disabled -- will be too poor to qualify for the Affordable Care Act subsidies but will not qualify for Medicaid in Oklahoma. Gov. Mary Fallin rejected the expansion, saying it would cost the state too much in the future.Individuals and families making between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level -- up to $45,960 per year for individuals and $94,200 for a family of four -- can qualify for a subsidy to purchase insurance under the law if their employers do not offer affordable insurance.The subsidies can either be claimed as a tax credit or used to reduce monthly premiums for insurance policies purchased on the "exchange," a website where consumers can sign up for insurance.Since the federal exchange opened Oct. 1, the website has been overwhelmed with problems. The Obama administration has promised to fix the issues by the end of November with a "tech surge" of specialists it has hired.The problems have prompted apologies from officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was grilled about the problems for a second time by a Senate panel Wednesday.Insurers have also notified thousands of people in some states that they are cancelling plans that don't comply with the law's requirements. That has raised questions about President Barack O迷你倉ama's promise that Americans could keep their health plans under the new law if they wanted to.Paul Aldridge, an Owasso veterinarian, said he has tried three times to log onto the federal exchange, healthcare.gov, and shop for coverage for his wife. Aldridge said he is covered by Medicare but that the group that provides his wife's insurance is ending her coverage.Aldridge said he was able to learn the cost of plans available to his wife, based on her age and other information, but couldn't find key details about the options."It was only last week I talked to a living, breathing person, and the young man knew less than I did about it," Aldridge said."He said they can't tell you until you apply. ... A marketplace implies shopping to me. I don't want to take five bags of chips up to the register."Federal officials have reassured citizens that there's plenty of time to apply, but for people losing coverage on Jan. 1, such as Aldridge's wife, time is waning. To obtain coverage under the law by Jan. 1, consumers must sign up by Dec. 15.That leaves only a few weeks between when federal officials promise to have the website fixed and Dec. 15.Others in the state have been having more success signing up for coverage.Crystal Steed, chief operating officer for Northeastern Oklahoma Community Health Centers Inc., said employees there had helped about 10 people sign up for coverage under the law. The organization has health centers in Muskogee, Westville, Tahlequah and Hulbert.She said employees who are trained to help people enroll report that "some days are better than others" when trying to access the federal exchange."We are just glad to be able to help anyone that is in need of help," Steed said.More than 60 plans are being offered on the exchange by five insurance companies in Oklahoma: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Aetna, Coventry, CommunityCare and GlobalHealth.The plans are grouped under four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. On average, the bronze plan pays 60 percent of a patient's health-care costs; silver pays 70 percent; gold pays 80 percent; and platinum pays 90 percent.Ziva Branstetter 918-581-8306ziva.branstetter@tulsaworld.comOklahomans by insurance status (2012)Health insurance status Number % of state population*Private insurance 2.1 million 59Medicaid 697,000 18Medicare 588,000 15Military health care 218,000 5Not covered*--640,000 17*Overlap due to people with multiple types of coverage**At any time during the yearSource: U.S. Census Bureau------Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉