Health insurance is a luxury that many Oregonians take for granted. Students at the University are often covered under their parents’ insurance plans; faculty and other University employees are usually covered through the University’s policy.
But for as many as 400,000 Oregonians, insurance could become their biggest concern.
State Ballot Measure 28 contains funding language that would affect the Oregon Health Plan, the state-funded insurance program for low-income individuals and families that was created in 1989. If Measure 28 fails at the polls Jan. 28, the proposed cuts would be implemented Feb. 1.
When the Oregon Legislative Assembly balanced the budget for the fifth time in 2002, OHP was included in a $313 million state budget re-balancing package to temporarily fix Oregon’s budget deficit. The Assembly sent this package to Oregon voters for their consideration in the form of Measure 28.
State services and departments originally cut from the Medicaid program — the program the OHP was modeled after — would be reduced once again if Measure 28 failed. But this time there would be no excess funding to create a new health care package capable of meeting residents’ needs.
Many of the people covered by OHP are either not eligible for or cannot afford a health insurance alternative.
“I have no other insurance options,” said Kathleen Ehli, a University senior in the humanities department. “I rely solely on financial aid. Right now, I pay less than $10 a month for coverage.”
Ehli said she does not see a doctor regularly. However, in the event of an emergency or serious illness, she counts on OHP to cover her medical bills.
“I have OHP in case I get hit by a truck or something — it’s for emergencies,” Ehli said. “If I got cut out of it, it wouldn’t be a huge problem.”
For healthy individuals such as Ehli, the proposed cuts may not immediately affect their personal well-being. But others in the Oregon health care system could have more problems.
To meet funding shortages, state officials would eliminate programs in OHP that serve the elderly, school age children, the mentally
disabled and individuals seeking alcohol and drug rehabilitation treatment.
Lynn Read, acting state Medicaid director at the Oregon Department of Human Resources, is not optimistic about Measure 28’s chance for success when votes are finally tallied at the end of January.
“The polls have not been favorable,” Read said. “Everyone is moving forward as if to implement (cuts).”
The Measure 28 proposed cuts are the third round of reductions to hit OHP this year. They follow cuts made by the State Revenue Forecast Board and the Legislative Emergency Board.
“The departments have already worked extensively to identify the least painful cuts, now the cuts are extremely painful,” Read said.
OHP, like many other state funded programs, could be running out of options. Officials said that Measure 28 could act as a turning point not only for OHP, but also for the health of the state.
“It’s one of those things that we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens,” University Health Center administrator Bob Petit said. “Hopefully people are going to get out and vote for the measure. If they don’t, higher education and public programs are just going to suffer.”
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