© 2024 KLCC

KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org

Contact Us

FCC Applications
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Oregon Health Plan No Longer Using Lottery System

Oregon Health Authorigy

In Oregon, low-income adults used to have to get on a waiting list and enroll in a lottery-style drawing to get health insurance. But that's changed because of the federal Affordable Care Act.

Oregon is one of 26 states expanding its Medicaid program, called the Oregon Health Plan. This means up to 300-thousand more people are eligible for coverage. Erin Fair Taylor is with Care-Oregon.

Taylor: "In essence, anyone who would have been income-eligible to enroll under the lottery program will now automatically be eligible to enroll in Oregon Health Plan. There is no need for the lottery anymore, which is pretty exciting."

Taylor says the Oregon Health Plan hasn't experienced the same problems as other parts of the state's healthcare reform rollout. The Department of Human Services pre-qualified many low income individuals and families. More than 100-thousand people contacted by the agency have signed up for coverage.
 

Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.
Related Content