Efforts pass to reduce health care costs, increase accountability and begin reforming the health care delivery system

(Salem) As the 2007 Legislative session comes to a close, health care advocates thank legislators for passing common sense solutions to our health care crisis, but more must be done to make health care affordable and available to all of us.

"This has been the best health care session in many years," exclaimed Maribeth Healey, Executive Director of Oregonians for Health Security. "Legislators passed common-sense measures to reduce the cost of prescriptions, stabilize insurance rates for small businesses and begin reforming health care."

"Yet, we are very disappointed that lawmakers did not restore the state's commitment to health care for low-income Oregonians by funding the Oregon Health Plan-Standard. That will be up to voters in November when they have the opportunity to finish the job for kids," continued Healey.

"The lack of funding for human services will continue to be a problem for vulnerable Oregonians," said Barney Gorter, a health care voter from Milwaukie. "Many programs were stabilized. We will help voters understand the ballot measure in November, but it is too bad children and the most vulnerable low-income adults will have to wait longer for care."

"Overall, it has been a great session, but there is more work to do," said Healey. "We look forward to engaging Oregonians in the discussions around health care reform as a part of SB 329."

Great strides were made in reducing costs and increasing accountability. Voters will have to join with lawmakers to increase access and we'll all have to work to design a better health care system. While there is much more work to do, the following are some of the health care accomplishments for the 74^th Legislative Assembly.

Reducing Costs

Expand the Prescription Drug Purchasing Pool—SB 362B Expanded OPDP to include Oregonians and any private business that would like to participate. Increasing participants in the pool will increase our negotiating power and reduce the cost of prescription drugs for Oregonians.

Allow Collective Insurance Purchasing– SB 426 Creating a statewide collaborative insurance purchasing pool for education employees could reduce health care costs and increase funding for classrooms. Collective purchasing for small businesses would help reduce insurance costs and ensure quality care for small business employees.

Increasing Accountability

Health Insurance Transparency—HB 2213 Consumers have a right to know how much health care services are going to cost them. Under this legislation, Health Plans will be required to provide information about enrollee's costs for certain services or procedures.

Community Benefit Reporting– HB 3290 The Office of Health Policy and Research will establish a standard system for hospitals in Oregon to record charity care and other community benefits. Once the report is issued, the public will have a way to compare the policies and practices of hospitals.

Increasing Small Employer Pool—HB 2002 By changing the definition of a small employer for insurance purposes from 25 to 50, it creates a simpler regulatory environment and ensures that small businesses protections of a larger pool, especially protection against rate increases based on health experience.

Next Steps: Improving Access- Now in the hands of Oregonians

Affordable Health Care for all of us– SB 329 We must create a health care system that provides access to evidence-based health care services for all of us. Reform must include cost containment and creation of a funding system that is fair, with individuals, employers and government all contributing. With passage of this bill, we now have a roadmap for health reform, but it will take active participation by Oregonians to design the new system.

Healthy Kids Plan– SJR 4 & SB 3 The referral will ensure that all kids in Oregon have access to health care, provides tobacco cessation and prevention programs and funds health care services for 10,000 low-income Oregonians under OHP-Standard

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for lack of support for health care in proposed budget.

(Salem) Leaders of Oregon’s business, union, consumer, health, community and faith organizations joined together to launch Cover the Uninsured Week 2007 (April 23-29).

Cover the Uninsured week comes at an opportune time in Oregon. The Healthy Kids Plan appears to be headed for a vote in the Oregon House, which would make health care coverage available for the state's uninsured kids. At the same time, current budget proposals threaten to roll back vital health services.

“This week, Oregon lawmakers have an opportunity to influence the health of a generation of Oregon children,” said Maribeth Healey of Oregonians for Health Security. “We urge them to put children at the front of the line.”

According to the 2006 Oregon Population survey, 15.6% of Oregonians (576,000) are uninsured, including 117,000 children.

For families without insurance, a single step can throw them into a financial tailspin, a fact Ellen Hudson of Colton knows all too well. Ellen fell and broke her ankle while uninsured. “One wrong step on my lawn and I’m left with $28,000 in medical bills my family can’t afford,” says Ellen Hudson.

In 2002, over 100,000 Oregonians were enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan-Standard. Now enrollment is just under 20,000. Funding for the program is solely from hospital and managed care company provider assessments, set to sunset this year.

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“With OHP-Standard closed, thousands of low-income, uninsured Oregonians are forced to seek care in the emergency room,” said Kelly Taylor, RN. “As a nurse, I urge lawmakers to help Oregonians access the vital health care services we need. Morally and economically it’s the right thing to do.”

“The proposed co-chairs budget rolls back the State’s commitment to health care for the most vulnerable Oregonians,” said Ellen Pinney, with Oregon Health Action Campaign. “The lack of support for health care across the board—from community mental health and substance abuse treatment programs to public health and the Oregon Health Plan—is unacceptable.”

Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Cover the Uninsured campaign is the largest mobilization in history to shine a national spotlight on the need to secure health coverage for all Americans.

Now in its fifth year, Cover the Uninsured Week (April 23-29) is organizing events nationwide, including press conferences, health and enrollment fairs, business events, campus outreach and interfaith activities. For more information on campaign activities, go to www.CoverTheUninsured.org.

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(Portland) - City Commissioner Randy Leonard was outlined in chalk by a group of children as a part of “Chalk it Up” a national day of health care action. Leonard was joined with Portland Mayor Tom Potter, Commissioners Sten and Saltzman, nurses, parents and health care advocates to call for an end to uninsured children. "One in every three uninsured children in Oregon has not seen a health care provider in the last year. That's not right, that's not acceptable, and as Mayor, I plan to do all I can to make these rights a reality for all the children in our community,” said Mayor Tom Potter.

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(Clackamas)- At a time when 60% of Americans disapprove of his work on health care, President Bush is expected to use his State of the Union speech tonight to announce a series of proposals touted to deal with health insurance and health care costs. If the proposals are those being reported in the media, Oregonians for Health Security believes that those strategies will fall far short of addressing the two critical problems in our health care system: a growing number of uninsured and skyrocketing costs. Our nation deserves much broader and more effective solutions.

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(Salem)- Today health care consumers, providers, business owners, and seniors joined together to tell legislative leaders they will be held accountable for the failure to enact common-sense solutions to reduce skyrocketing health care costs. They also put candidates for public office on notice that they must have a plan to reduce health care costs and increase access to quality, affordable and secure health care. “Oregon’s elected leaders were in the position to solve the health care crisis last session, but House leaders blocked needed reforms,” said Maribeth Healey, executive director of Oregonians for Health Security. “Insurance, pharmaceutical and hospital industry profits continue to soar and thousands of Oregonians can’t get the health care that they need. There’s something wrong with this picture.”

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