Major Healthcare Coverage Changes In Oregon

Oregon's Healthcare Changes

• Oregon's Health insurance exchange would make health insurance coverage affordable for the 715,000 uninsured Oregonians and the 257,000 with nongroup medical insurance coverage.
  
  
• Health insurance premium tax credits would be available to 378,000 Oregonians.
  
  
• Free preventative medical services would be provided to 580,000 senior citizens.
  
  
• The Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" would be remedied, so that 103,000 senior citizens in Oregon would be paying only half the cost of the brand name medications.
  
  
• The small business tax credit would allow 58,300 of Oregon's small businesses to benefit from lower premiums. 78% of Oregon's businesses are actually small businesses. In 2008, only 40% of them offered group health insurance coverage. A small business tax credit being proposed would help to ensure that premiums are affordable. Employer responsibility provisions would also be eliminated.
  

Early Benefits Enjoyed By The 3.8 Million Oregonians in 2010 and 2011

• Consumers in Oregon will no longer have lifetime limits on their health insurance plans. Annual limit use will be altered and insurance companies will not be allowed to drop coverage arbitrarily.
  
  
• There will be options available to those ineligible for health insurance. Presently there are 7% of Oregonians with Diabetes and 27% with high blood pressure who struggle to get health insurance. Insurers often deny coverage for these two groups. A high-risk pool established by the reform bill will give such people health insurance options.
  
  
• Free preventative healthcare services will be available. Of the preventative tests that have been neglected, 33% of Oregonians have not undergone a colorectal screening for cancer and 19% of women aged 50 and above have neglected to get a mammogram for the past two years. Prevention and public health will be encouraged through funds invested for these purposes.
  
  
• Health insurance coverage for those who retire early will be supported. Even though 75,100 early retirees have special insurance coverage through their employers, such insurance coverage is becoming rarer. The new system would offer reinsurance to help stabilize the coverage and help lower health insurance premiums for existing employees and the early retirees. It could make as much as $1200 difference in premiums for families.