SoonerCare Member Newsletter • January 2025

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January 2025


SoonerCare Helpline: No More Waiting on Hold

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With OHCA's new callback feature, you can now request a call back instead of waiting on hold for an agent to answer. When you call, simply select the option to be called back. We’ll hold your place in line and contact callers in the same order we received the calls. Please make sure you don’t have a spam blocker; it may reject our callback feature.


Quit Tobacco for a Healthier Heart

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February is American Heart Month, a time to focus on protecting your heart health. Did you know quitting tobacco is one of the best steps you can take for a healthier heart? SoonerCare is here to help!

Your Tobacco Cessation Benefits Include:

  • Free tobacco cessation counseling sessions with your SoonerCare Provider
  • Robust support from the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline
  • Complete coverage for all seven FDA-approved cessation nicotine therapies and medications:

    • Nicotine gum, nicotine lozenges, nicotine patches, nicotine inhalers and nicotine nasal spray
    • Bupropion and Varenicline

Quitting tobacco reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Take this month as a fresh start for your heart.

Schedule a tobacco cessation counseling appointment with your SoonerCare provider and talk about getting started today. Your heart will thank you!


Did You Know?

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SoonerCare provides quality health care for more than 1 million Oklahomans. If you are one of those members, we want to hear how SoonerCare has made a difference in your life! Share your story here.


Healthy Dental Habits

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  • Healthy diet A healthy diet leads to a healthier mouth. Eat less sweet and sticky foods. Eating more fruits and vegetables helps fight cavities.
  • Dental hygiene Ask your dentist to show you the best way to brush and floss. Do this at your regular checkup.
  • Dental checkups SoonerCare pays for many dental services. This includes checkups, fluoride treatments, X-rays and more. We recommend a child have a first dental checkup no later than the first birthday.
  • Dental emergencies We all want our kids to be free of pain. That is why SoonerCare pays for emergency exams. We also pay to pull bad teeth when needed to stop pain or infection.

Have You Received a Member Survey?

OHCA is sending surveys to some SoonerCare members. We are working to make your experience the best it can be. If you get a survey, use the link or phone number to take the survey. The survey is available in English and Spanish. It only takes a few minutes to complete.


A Healthier Heart Starts with Your Plate!

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During American Hearth Month, it's the perfect time to focus on improving heart health for you and your family. Did you know SoonerCare offers up to six hours of free nutritional counseling each year with a licensed registered dietitian?

How Medical Nutrition Therapy Can Help:

  • Create a heart-healthy meal plan just for your needs
  • Learn strategies to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and improve nutrition
  • Get support managing heart conditions like hypertension or high cholesterol

Small changes can make a big impact on your heart health. Ask your SoonerCare provider if you qualify and take the first step toward a healthier heart this February!

Your heart deserves the best care. Let’s start with what’s on your plate.


Member Toolkit

Need a ride to an appointment? Quitting tobacco? Need to find a provider or an after-hours clinic? Have an emergency? Our Member Toolkit is just for you! It offers information on everything you may need help with. Check it out today.


Opioids and Benzodiazepines (BZDs): Safer Steps When Taking These Medicines Together

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Sometimes people are prescribed both an opioid and a BZD. Opioids are medicines that can help treat pain, and BZDs (also known as benzos) are medicines that can help with sleep or anxiety. However, these medicines often cause problems when taken together. They cause extreme sleepiness. They can slow your breathing, even to the point of stopping your breathing completely. The risk is higher with a higher dose of either medicine. The risk is also higher if you take them together for more than a month. If you are taking both opioids and BZDs, here are some important steps you can take to stay safer:

  • Talk to Your Primary Care Provider (PCP):
    • Ask how long you will need to take both medicines. A shorter time is safer!
    • Ask about side effects, especially ones like trouble breathing or dizziness.
    • Tell your PCP and pharmacist all the medicines you are taking. Make sure you include everything you take without a prescription!
  • Be Careful:
    • Avoid driving or doing anything that needs you to pay close attention. These medicines can make you confused and forgetful.
    • These medicines can be habit-forming. So, once started, they may be hard to stop.
    • Do not stop taking these medicines suddenly. Stopping “cold turkey” can be deadly.
  • Avoid Alcohol:
    • Alcohol makes the side effects of these medicines much worse. Using either of these medicines with alcohol is a very dangerous, even deadly combination.

Remember: Take your medicines only as prescribed. Ask questions if you are unsure about how to use any of your medicines. Never start or stop taking a medicine without talking to your health care provider.

Do you have questions about a particular medicine’s coverage or other pharmacy benefit questions? Call the Pharmacy Help Desk at 405-522-6205, option 4, or toll-free 800-522-0114, option 4.


Oklahoma ABLE Tech Reutilization Program

ABLE Tech's Device Reutilization Program is 100% donation-based. Without community contributions, they would be unable to maintain an inventory. If you have equipment you're no longer using that you'd like to donate, visit the donation page.


Requesting a Call Back from SoonerCare?

For SoonerCare to fulfill your request, please make sure spam blocking is turned off on your phone. Sometimes when we return a call, it can show up as spam. Our phone number may also come up as a Colorado or Florida number on your caller ID.


About OHCA

Please call the SoonerCare helpline at 800-987-7767 if you have questions about your coverage or benefits. For updates on new policies, health tips, helpful resources and more, follow OHCA on Facebook and X. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.

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