Governor Announces Plans To Boost Health Coverage

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Governor Brad Henry is calling on the Legislature to expand a program to help small businesses provide health insurance for their employees.<br/><br/>Henry's proposal would expand

Tuesday, January 23rd 2007, 11:21 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Governor Brad Henry is calling on the Legislature to expand a program to help small businesses provide health insurance for their employees.

Henry's proposal would expand the Insure Oklahoma program to cover employees who make about $40,000 a year. The program currently covers works who make about $37,000 a year.

Under the program the state pays 60 percent of the cost of health insurance premiums for the workers while the business pays 25 percent and the employee pays the remaining 15 percent.

The governor says one in five Oklahomans still have no health insurance and end up in emergency rooms where hospitals and insurance companies pass on the cost of health care to those who do have insurance.