States Moving Toward Comprehensive Health Care Reform
Oregon
Status of reform effort: In June
2009, legislation was passed that expands coverage to children and some
low-income adults.The legislation also
creates the Oregon Health Authority Board, a health insurance exchange, and a
quality care institute.
In January 2007,
Governor Ted Kulongoski’s (D) Healthy Kids Plan was
introduced in the legislature.On
August 9, 2007, Governor Kulongoski signed the Healthy Kids Plan, which
authorizes the children’s eligibility expansion, but made the program funding
contingent upon the passage of the Measure 50 ballot initiative.The ballot initiative, which proposed an
84-cent increase in the state tobacco tax, was not approved by voters on the
November 2007 ballot.
On June 28,
2007, Governor Ted Kulongoski(D)
signed the Healthy
Oregon Act, which provides a detailed timeline for developing a full-scale
health reform plan to be passed by the 2009 legislature.The bill establishes the Oregon Health Trust
Board, which is responsible for gathering public input and creating a
comprehensive health care plan.In
November 2008, the Oregon Health Trust Board made health reform recommendations
to the legislature.
In June 2009, the legislature passed two pieces of health care legislation.
HB
2116 creates the Health Care for All Oregon Children program to provide
affordable and accessible coverage for all children.The legislation does the following:
Expands Medicaid and CHIP coverage to children in families with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL);
Establishes a private health plan option administered by the state which provides premium subsidies on a sliding scale to children with family incomes between 200 and 300 percent FPL.Children with family incomes above 300 percent FPL can purchase coverage through the private option at full-cost;
Expands outreach and simplify the application process;
Increases funding for the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) to enroll eligible low-income adults who have been on a waitlist to obtain coverage.
The expansion is expected to cover 80,000 additional
children, which would bring the share of insured children to 95 percent.The legislation is also expected to expand
coverage to 50,000 low-income adults.The coverage expansion is financed with a tax on insurers and
hospitals.In addition, HB
2009 creates the Oregon Health Authority Board to be the policymaking and
oversight entity for all health reform efforts to improve health care quality,
improve coordination, and contain costs.It also calls for the creation of a health insurance exchange and a
quality care institute.*
