“Without Medicaid, I would be dead.”
As the Oregon Legislature meets to fill a gaping hole in the state budget caused by COVID-19, Tabor Porter would like lawmakers and the governor to remember what he told Our Health Oregon.
The coverage he and thousands of other Oregonians get from Medicaid via the Oregon Health Plan is critically important. Without it, Tabor would not be able to afford the medication he needs to survive with HIV/AIDS, which would cost $10,000 per month. For Tabor and others who are medically compromised, these are dangerous days as a pandemic grips the U.S. and the world.
There are so many other stories we’ve heard from our fellow Oregonians about the importance of Medicaid. Marcia Pope lost her job and her health insurance in the recession of 2008, just as she was hit with major health issues and an ailing mother who needed care. Medicaid helped her through a very vulnerable time.
Let’s be clear, Oregon fixing the state budget and it’s $2.7 billion shortfall will not be easy. COVID has battered the economy, and real people have felt the pinch. In the first 12 weeks after Governor Brown declared a state of emergency, some 450,000 Oregonians have filed for unemployment. Oregon’s state budget is heavily dependent on income tax revenue. When unemployment rises, state revenue drops. According to a study by Families USA referenced in a story by the Lund Report, an estimated 50,000 Oregonians have lost insurance coverage. Many of them have applied for coverage on the Oregon Health Plan.
Still, health experts say now is not the time to consider cuts in health care coverage, which is essential to maintaining access to care, including COVID testing and treatment.
Just last year, the Governor Brown and the legislature worked together to pass HB 2010, which goes a long way towards fully funding Medicaid for the next 6 years. After is passed, the governor said, “We need to immediately turn our focus to filling the rest of the Oregon Health Plan funding gap.” We’ll be talking soon about how you can make sure that happens.
In the meantime, remember that Medicaid Matters, now more than ever.
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