Tell Us Your Story

By Karen Poteet - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

In 1999, my husband and I became foster parents of two young girls who are biological sisters. Both girls were prenatally exposed to alcohol and other drugs. As a result, they both have medical and behavioral health issues which are directly related to this trauma.

Studies show that children who are traumatized due to abuse and/or neglect are at heightened risk of moderate to severe health problems, learning disabilities, developmental delays, physical impairments, and mental health difficulties.

In 2001, when we finalized the adoption proceeding for our daughters, we continued to receive Medicaid benefits as an adoption assistance benefit. Even though we have private health insurance, which provides the primary insurance coverage on the girls, the knowledge that we had the safety net of Medicaid as secondary insurance eased our concerns regarding our ability to financially afford to care for these medically complex children. 

In 2002, we moved to Oklahoma from Illinois, and the Medicaid coverage continued in Oklahoma as an adoption assistance benefit. Over the years, our daughters have required the services of pediatric cardiologists, pediatric endocrinologists, child psychiatrists, speech and language pathologists, pediatric neurologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, pediatric urologists, orthopedic surgeons and pediatricians.  They also have benefited from prescription drug coverage.

Having SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) provide secondary coverage for our daughters has allowed them to benefit from additional experiences that we would not have been able to afford if we hadn’t had both our private health insurance and, most notably, SoonerCare.

SoonerCare, thank you for assisting us in meeting the physical, emotional, and developmental needs of our daughters who – through no fault of their own – were traumatized before they were ever born.

SoonerFacts

• On average, more than 50 percent of the estimated Oklahoma populations younger than age 18 have been enrolled in SoonerCare.
• SoonerCare provides quality health care for 1 in 4 Oklahomans.
• SoonerCare provides medical, dental and vision coverage for children who qualify for the program.
• More than 570,000 Oklahoma children are currently enrolled in SoonerCare.
• A family of four can have an annual income of more than $50,000 and may still qualify for SoonerCare.