Rep. Michael Dembrow

The universal healthcare study that the Oregon Legislature authorized in 2013 has run into roadblocks to funding, and if money for the study is not raised soon, a comprehensive analysis may be impossible before the 2015 session. Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, told The Lund Report after a town hall meeting Monday that the study would need nine months to complete. With the next session just 11 months away, researchers would need to begin in May but fundraisers are nowhere close to their goal of $200,000 to $600,000.

Dembrow says even if the legislature passes a single-payer bill, it's likely to be referred to voters

Rep. Michael Dembrow attracted the support of five Republicans to solicit private donations to fund a rigorous academic study on how best to bring true universal healthcare to Oregon.

Funding for the study to provide healthcare financing for all Oregonians would come from private sources, and the study would consider several options, including single-payer, a public option and hybrid model to provide care from cradle-to-grave. A Pennsylvania study found a state single-payer government health insurance system would cut healthcare costs 15 percent

A house bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, is not expected to pass, but advocates claim momentum

October 18, 2012 -- Despite the emphasis on healthcare transformation, evident by the $1.9 billion in federal funds that Governor John Kitzhaber garnered to implement coordinated care organizations, the single payer movement isn’t dead in Oregon. Its champion, Rep. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) plans to re-introduce the same legislation again next February. In 2011, it received a hearing in the House but stalled there (House Bill 3510).