A proposed amendment to the State Constitution, Section 46 of Oregon House Joint House Resolution 100 begins, “The people of Oregon find that health care is an essential safeguard to human life and dignity and that access to health care is a fundamental right.”
But the resolution was on life support after passing the House by a 31-29 vote, and officially died after the state Senate adjourned last week without debating it. If passed, HJR 100 would have been placed on the November ballot. If approved by voters, it would have guaranteed medical coverage for some 600,000 Oregonians.
The issue of whether government-mandated health care is an effective means of covering individuals has drawn heavy divisions across local, state and federal government. It comes as little surprise that when HJR 100 passed earlier this month, it did so with the support of Oregon’s 31 Democrats in the House, and over the opposition of the House’s 29 Republicans.
But those Republicans have raised valid concerns over the proposal. Among the unanswered questions are how much it would cost state taxpayers, and what kinds of benefits would be offered. For these reasons, and because of the shortened schedule of legislators during this current “special session,” the resolution never gained enough momentum to have a chance of making it through the Senate.
This is not the first time a Democrat-backed health care plan was passed through the House, only to be stonewalled there. Just last year, House Joint Resolution 18 suffered the same fate. This is merely indicative of the issue’s polarizing nature.
State Democrats feel it is a fundamental right for Oregon’s citizens to be entitled to basic health care programs. But Republicans argue it is only the government’s responsibility to uphold basic rights and individual freedoms. Likely, the solution to what ails Oregon’s uninsured families lies somewhere in the middle.
At the argument’s heart are fundamental issues of American rights and liberties. Are we each entitled to health care? If so, how is such a policy best implemented? Hopefully this won’t be the state’s last attempt at passing health care reform legislation. The national political discussion suggests it won’t be. But whatever happens in Washington D.C. next fall won’t affect Oregonians any more than what Oregon legislators decide to do with the time and resources they have.