Oregon To Use Lottery To Fill Remaining Spots in State Health Plan
Oregon will begin drawing names this week in a lottery to determine who will fill open slots in the Oregon Health Plan, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. More than 80,000 people have registered for the lottery since it opened in January, but only a few thousand slots are available, according to the AP/Chronicle. People selected in the lottery will be eligible for a standard benefit program that provides coverage for basic health services, medications, and limited dental, hospital and vision care. The program is intended for people whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid but who cannot afford private insurance.
The lottery winners will be chosen in a series of drawings that could take several months, the AP/Chronicle reports. Ellen Pinney, director of the Oregon Health Action Campaign, said, "This is such a wonderful opportunity," adding, "We've heard absolutely no complaints, just a lot of hope that they are the ones who will be selected."
In 1995, the program covered 132,000 Oregon residents, but the state closed the program to new applicants in 2004 because of budget cuts. The Oregon Department of Human Services estimates that there are about 600,000 uninsured state residents. The Oregon Health Fund Board has been charged with developing a proposal to address health care access and coverage, which will be considered during the 2009 legislative session. Anna Richter Taylor, a spokesperson for Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D), said the governor considers the Oregon Health Plan as a basis for the proposal(Skidmore, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/4).
Access to Care
In related news, CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday profiled Remote Area Medical, a medical relief organization that provides no-cost medical care to uninsured and underinsured patients who cannot afford or access health care. Originally established to help patients in developing nations, the group now travels the U.S. to set up weekend-long clinics staffed by volunteers. The segment includes comments from Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical; volunteers; and patients (Pelley, "60 Minutes," CBS, 3/3).
Video and a partial transcript of the segment are available online.
