Hello zombyw00f~
According to recent figures from the University of Oregon (
http://www.upa.pdx.edu/CPRC/ ) and the Oregon Department of Human
Services ( http://www.omap.hr.state.or.us/demographics/ ),
approximately 2.3 percent of Oregon's population is covered in some
way by the state's health plan, which was enacted in 1989.
In 1996, a study found that the rate of uninsured Oregonians dropped
from 17 percent in 1992 to 11 percent in '96. This is one of the
lowest rates in the United States. The problems with the plan are
numerous, however.
A major problem is the poverty level required in order to qualify. You
can see the income requirements at this link:
http://www.omap.hr.state.or.us/ohp/3256_0202.html
Under these circumstances, it's difficult to be a working Oregon and
still qualify for the state's health insurance plan. For those who
earn more than allowed by the Oregon Health Plan, the state has
enacted FHIAP, which subsidizes insurance for citizens. Again, the
income requirements are extremely low, but if an Oregonian qualifies,
the state will pay between 75 and 90 percent of the monthly insurance
premium.
Only a handful of insurance companies will work with the state,
however, drastically limiting what is available to Oregonians within
the state's plan. Some areas currently have no HMO coverage, which
means many people are only offered insurance with high deductibles.
This means insurance is still unavailable for many people, since those
who meet the state's low income requirements can hardly be expected to
dole out high monthly fees, as well as pay into deductibles.
There is also a long waiting period. Once a person notifies the state
that they are interested in some form of state health insurance, it
can take 2+ years for them to finally receive an application. Coverage
usually takes an additional few months to acquire.
In addition, while once the state plan covered dental, it no longer
does.
43 percent of Oregon Health Plan enrollees leave the health plan
before a year has passed. 16 percent of those who left said they did
so because of "paperwork issues." Of those, 20 percent said they
submitted incomplete or incorrect paperwork; 9 percent said it was too
complicated. Indeed, the amount of paperwork required of applicants
can be overwhelming and confusing; in addition, applicants must find
and apply for their own insurance under the FHIAP plan. This means not
only filing paperwork with the state, but also with insurance
companies. Attempting to discover an insurance company plan that is
affordable, ensuring that they are qualified, and figuring
out-of-pocket expenses is a massive udnertaking for applicants.
62 percent of those who lose eligibility do so because their income
rises above the federal poverty level (perhaps as a result of seasonal
work). But of those people, 71 percent of them do not gain insurance
from another source. ("Oregon Health Plan research: findings and
recommendations," Oregon Dept. of Human Services,
http://www.hr.state.or.us/news/archive/2001news/2001-0731.html )
For a history of Oregon's health plan, visit:
http://www.alternativesmagazine.com/04/pinney1.html
For more specifics about Oregon's plan, visit:
http://www.omap.hr.state.or.us
Keywords Used:
"Oregon health plan"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Oregon+Health+Plan%22
"Oregon health plan" history
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Oregon+Health+Plan%22+history
Oregon population
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Oregon+Population
Kriswrite |
