The federal government's massive cuts to health care are a call to action for Oregon lawmakers, health leaders, and community advocates. The health and safety of Americans may not be Washington, D.C.’s priority, but, as your State Senator, it is mine. That’s why I’m sounding the alarm.
We all know that Medicaid is an important investment in the health of our families, but few realize that one in three Oregonians and more than half of Oregon children rely on Medicaid to access health care. These federal cuts to funding have the potential to be devastating to Oregonians, and I’m calling for all hands on deck to find solutions.
It’s time for creative and compassionate thinking. Oregonians will need all sectors working together to find solutions for the barriers that President Trump's budget bill — H.R. 1 — will create in our health care system. The scale of the cuts coming under H.R. 1 is too great for state government alone to fill the gaps.
As Oregonians, we're facing down a $490 million drop in federal Medicaid funding alone between now and the end of 2027.This funding not only supports health insurance for low-income individuals and families, but it is also crucial for keeping hospitals and community clinics afloat. Under these conditions, Oregon’s public and private sectors must come together to find cost savings that won’t cause the system to break down and will continue to deliver the care we depend on.
Despite the cruel decisions by Washington politicians, I have faith in Oregon. Leading the way on health care has always been a shared priority for Oregonians–beginning with the implementation of the Oregon Health Plan in 1994 and continuing through to today, with dedicated professionals participating in the state’s innovation hubs: the Universal Health Plan Governance Board, the Sustainable Health Care Cost Growth program, and the Coordinated Care Organization network. We can harness this spirit of innovation to confront the predicament the Trump budget bill has brought us.
These are some of the promising options that can serve as our foundation for maintaining care in this time of scarce resources:
- Shrinking administrative costs and rewarding outcomes: Despite partisan rhetoric about waste and abuse, Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations not only help avoid duplicative or unnecessary care, but they also have financial incentives that help keep costs down. Oregon focuses on the individual, not the volume of care, with incentives for better patient outcomes.
- Investing in primary care: Keeping people healthy at the outset is a smart investment with limited health care dollars. Fewer emergency department visits and fewer hospitalizations mean healthier Oregonians and lower health care expenditures.
- Public health and preventive care: Keeping people healthy is far less expensive than caring for them once they’ve gotten sick. It’s common sense and, quite simply the right thing to do.
- Community organizations and social services: When Oregonians are safely housed and fed, it makes sense that they are healthier in the long term. Community-based organizations are crucial for connecting people to coverage and to additional programs like nutrition assistance and housing; they too have been hit hard by the president’s budget bill. It will take all of us – government, philanthropy, and the private sector – to fill the gaps created by these federal cuts.
Oregonians, we have always led the way on innovation and a shared commitment to helping our children, our communities thrive. The task ahead will not be easy, but doing the right thing rarely is. As long as we can work together and keep patient needs at the center of decision-making, I know we can get through this difficult period for Oregonians. Together.
State Senator Deb Patterson represents South and West Salem, Monmouth and Independence (Senate District 10). She chairs the Senate Interim Committee on Health Care and serves on Senate Interim Committees for Labor and Business, Finance and Revenue, Early Childhood and Behavioral Health and Housing. She also was appointed to the Oregon Commission on Women, the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services, and the Oregon Hunger Task Force. Senator Patterson has spent over 20 years in health care administration, leading an international health organization, founding a children’s health philanthropy and serving on the management team of a multi-hospital health system. She holds two degrees in music, a Master of Health Administration from Washington University School of Medicine, and master's and doctorate degrees from Eden Seminary.
