| Governor's Priorities 2008 |
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| Health Care |
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Our health care system is caught in a spiral of rising costs and declining coverage. Each year, fewer businesses can keep up with the costs of their employees' health insurance -- and fewer working families can make up the difference. As a result, the number of uninsured in Oregon continues to rise. Almost one of every six Oregonians is now without health insurance. And those who have insurance are increasingly insecure about the affordability and sustainability of their coverage.
Under the current system, the state can't keep up either. We are covering more Oregonians through the Oregon Health Plan than in 2003 but there are more than 100,000 eligible citizens waiting to get in -- many of whom are working families too poor to afford coverage on their own. Worst of all, the failure of Measure 50 last November left 116,000 children without access to care. That failure cannot become a defeat. Whatever health care reforms we pursue now, however difficult, we must focus on our children. Kids can't wait.
Read how the Governor answers the Oregon challenge for health care (pdf). Read more about how the state is working to develop a comprehensive plan to ensure affordable quality health care for every Oregonian.
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