New York Times Examines Oregon Lottery To Fill Vacant Slots in Health Plan
The New York Times on Thursday examined the lottery being conducted in Oregon to fill vacant slots in the Oregon Health Plan. The Oregon Health Plan, which is part of the state's Medicaid program, provides coverage for uninsured people who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare and cannot afford private insurance.
According to the Times, about 600,000 state residents are uninsured -- about 16% of the state's population. Of those, about 130,000 qualify for the Oregon Health Plan. However, the state can only afford to cover as many as 24,000 people under the program. Currently, 17,000 slots are filled, leaving about 7,000 openings. The state decided to hold a lottery to determine who would fill the slots because it appeared to be the fairest way. State Medicaid Director Jim Edge said, "We thought about other options, such as should we try to pick all of the sickest people or the kids or the people with cancer or heart disease," adding, "But the [federal government] won't allow that, and there's just no way to guarantee the fairness of that. Why would cancer be more deserving than heart disease?"
More than 91,000 people have registered for the lottery and about 3,000 initially will receive applications based on a computer selection. Those applications will be reviewed for eligibility, and more applications will be distributed over the next several months in batches of 3,000 until the program enrollment reaches an average of 24,000 people.
At its height in 1996, the Oregon Health Plan covered more than 100,000 people and brought the state's uninsured rate down to 11%, from 18% in 1992. However, state budget cuts in 2004 reduced the plan to its current levels. Edge said, "Maybe we can hope that as time goes on, there will be state money added back to this program and it can grow again." The state has convened a special board that later this year will provide a plan to put the state back on the path to universal coverage, according to the Times (Yardley, New York Times, 3/13).
