Oregon Lawmakers Consider Other Ways To Fund Health Coverage Expansion After Tobacco Tax Measure Fails

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 13 Nov 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Oregon legislators are now "back to square one in their quest to make health care affordable for all Oregonians" after voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have increased the state's tobacco tax to pay for health care for more than 90,000 uninsured children and about 10,000 uninsured adults, the Oregonian reports. The measure would have generated about $147 million in fiscal year 2008-09 and $208 million in FY 2009-11.

According to the Oregonian, legislators had no back-up plan for the measure, which failed by a 59%-41% vote. However, a seven-member panel is drafting legislation for 2009 that would expand coverage for the uninsured. According to the Oregonian, Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) and legislative leaders said there is not enough time to address the issue in February 2008 during a four-week legislative session.

State lawmakers this fiscal year allocated enough funds to expand coverage in the Oregon Health Plan to about 9,000 additional state residents, and Jean Phillips, deputy administrator for the state division of medical assistance programs, said the state will focus its efforts on covering adults with children. State Rep. Gene Whisnant (R) said the state Legislature should focus on enrolling uninsured children who already qualify for health care programs.

According to Phillips, the state was planning to use funds from Measure 50 to launch media and informational campaigns aimed at an estimated 60,000 uninsured, eligible children in state health programs, but now the state does not have enough money to conduct such "aggressive outreach" (Har/Cole, Oregonian, 11/8).

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