(Portland, OR) -- On Wednesday, the Oregon Senate gave final approval to fund the Oregon Health Authority, preserving health coverage to hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who rely on the Oregon Health Plan for care.
"This budget protects vital coverage for more than 215,000 Health Share members--76,000 of whom qualify for coverage under the Affordable Care Act," said Janet Meyer, CEO of Health Share. "The OHP budget allows Health Share to focus on what's important--caring for all our members. We know that when people have health coverage, they're healthier and more productive."
Eric Hunter, president and CEO of CareOregon and chair of Health Share's board of directors agreed, "In a tough budget situation it's good to see Health Share, other coordinated care organizations, and delivery system partners come together to support the passage of a two-year Oregon Health Plan budget. We look forward to working toward long term solutions, but are glad that many Oregonians will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing they and their families will continue to have health coverage for the current biennium."
The package, passed with bipartisan votes and broad support from across the health care industry, is comprised of belt-tightening cuts and new revenue sufficient to ensure coverage of all currently eligible Oregon Health Plan members without cutting benefits. New revenue comes from assessments on CCOs, commercial insurers, and hospitals.
"I've been a part of Health Share since the beginning, and I know that this budget supports Health Share's vision of a healthy community for all. Without adequate funding, our journey toward developing a best-in-class Medicaid program in Oregon could have been delayed; we're not ready to slow down progress yet," said Dr. George Brown, president and CEO for Legacy Health, a current Health Share board member and past board chair from 2012-2016.
Beyond providing access to essential health services, Health Share focuses on critical supports, including promoting early life health, enhancing mental health and substance use care, and increasing equity within the system. Passage of the OHP budget allows Health Share to continue to focus on these efforts to achieve better care, smarter spending and healthier people in our service area.
Joanne Fuller, Director of the Multnomah County Health Department, and Health Share board member added, "Health Share's work is to bridge medical care and community health--this is such a big part of reducing the cycle of poverty and creating healthy and stable families. We couldn't do this work without adequate OHP funding."
About Health Share of Oregon
Health Share of Oregon is the state's largest Medicaid coordinated care organization (CCO), serving more than 215,000 Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. Our mission is to partner with communities to achieve ongoing transformation, health equity, and the best possible health for each individual.
Health Share was founded and continues to be governed by eleven health care organizations serving OHP members: Adventist Health, CareOregon, Central City Concern, Clackamas County, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Multnomah County, Oregon Health & Science University, Providence Health & Services, Tuality Health Alliance and Washington County.
June 23, 2017
