Many people in pre-pandemic times earned too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford health coverage. As a medical doctor I have seen many people delay treatments - from cataract surgery to high blood pressure medication - as they wait for finances to change or to grow old enough for Medicare. The extended coverage during the pandemic has allowed more people to get health care when they need it. However, now that this extended coverage will soon be reevaluated, my patients are again telling me how worried they are about how they will meet their health needs. I am, too.
The good news is that the state has been developing a plan so low-income folks who earn slightly more than the Oregon Health Plan limit don’t lose coverage. It is a bridge health plan that will mirror Medicaid - similar benefits, no premiums or cost-sharing, and the same providers. The governor has included some funding for the planning stages of this “Basic Health Plan” in her budget, but the money doesn’t go far enough to ensure full implementation.
As safety nets like Medicaid coverage are pulled back, Oregonians need to know that their leaders are looking out for them and their health care needs. Oregon should fully fund the implementation of the bridge plan, and Gov. Tina Kotek should direct her agencies, including the Oregon Health Authority, to move forward on the bridge plan. Our health care costs are too high for our leaders to leave us in the lurch without clear direction for Oregon’s health care future.
Sharon Smith, Milwaukie
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