Health Care for All Oregon

Speakers’ Bureau
Dr. Mike Huntington, who led the Mad As Hell Doctors (MAHD) group across the country in 2009, to 24 cities in California last year and to 22 Oregon communities in 2011, can cite dozens of personal stories from Americans who have suffered under the present fragmented, inefficient non-system. Mike is heading the new Speakers’ Bureau for the Coalition. If your service club or faith community could use a speaker on single payer health care, contact him at mchuntington@comcast.net

Insurance Exhange
The Oregon Insurance Exchange was created this session. Health care consumer advocates proposed important principles, repeatedly contacted legislators, attended and testified at hearings, and shared their personal “horror” stories either as individuals or as small business owners.

The Insurance Exchange bill is Oregon’s response to the federal mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to establish an insurance marketplace where consumers and small businesses can shop for health plans, take advantage of tax credits and obtain lower cost insurance through a larger insurance pool.

Regence rate increase
In the midst of the last month flurry of the 2011 legislative session, consumers voiced their concerns at the first public hearing on an insurance rate increase in Oregon in over 20 years! When Regence filed for their increase, the Oregon Insurance Division responded by holding a public hearing to inform their decision about whether or not to approve the increase. Laura Etherton, Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, reported findings from OSPIRG’s analysis of the rate filing, stating that the proposed increase had not been adequately justified and also would drive down already shrinking numbers of persons enrolled in health insurance coverage. More than 800 comments were filed protesting this rate increase.
Result: A 12.8% was approved, rather than 22.1% requested. This reduction will save Regence members approximately $12.5 million per year, or $15.58 per member per month.

While this is a noble intention, advocates’ concerns with the bill included consumer protections, conflict of interest among exchange board members and lack of negotiating power of the exchange. These were the key issues for health care advocates. OSPIRG, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Oregon Nurses Association and numerous other human services and consumer advocacy organizations joined in a strongly worded letter to legislators stating “We cannot support Senate Bill 99-3.” Nevertheless Senate Bill 99-A passed out of the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health Policy Committee with a 5-0 vote and later passed on the Senate floor with wide bipartisan support 24-5.