Oregon to consider universal coverage proposals next year

Among the plans is one from a state Senate panel proposing health cards for citizens, with insurance funded by employers, workers, state and federal governments.

By Doug Trapp, AMNews staff. Dec. 4, 2006.

Washington -- It's still early, but Oregon may be the next state to adopt some sort of universal health care reform.

Several major proposals are in the works that could be unified into a comprehensive bill to be considered by the Oregon Legislature when it convenes in January.

A leader in the push for reform is a Senate commission created one year ago to study problems with health care cost and access in Oregon and to recommend a legislative solution. About 613,000 Oregonians lack health coverage.

Other players are a commission created by the current governor, a former governor who has launched a campaign for universal health care reform, and the Oregon Business Council, which includes insurance companies.

All are pushing for comprehensive changes to Oregon's health care system. Final proposals from two of these groups are due to be released in December.

"I would say there is strong agreement on what the nature of the problem is: cost, quality and access. There's strong agreement on the desirability of comprehensive reform," said state Sen. Alan Bates, DO, chair of the Senate Commission on Health Care Access and Affordability and a family physician.

Dr. Bates said the Senate commission has tried to coordinate the reform efforts of the groups, which have been talking to each other for several months.

The Senate commission's final draft of legislation is due in mid-December, Dr. Bates said.