Health Care Lottery Reveals DesperationMarch 2008
The people behind the
Oregon health insurance lottery mean well; after all, they're offering an excellent health care plan to a few thousand people who really, really need it.
The problem is that over 80,000 have signed up, all desperate to win the medical coverage they need, but can't afford.
According to the
Associated Press, the Oregon Department of Human Services will start drawing names this week for the chance to enroll in a health care program designed for people not poor enough for Medicaid but too cash-strapped to buy their own insurance. Originally this plan was the mainstay of the Oregon health insurance program that covered 132,000 people in 1995. State budget cuts forced the program to close to newcomers by 2004, though now the few thousand available openings are up for the lottery.
But what will become of the other 78,000 who need
health care, but can't afford it? Part of what makes this lottery so troubling, is that for every person who will benefit from an affordable Oregon health insurance plan, almost 4 more people will have to continue on making do without life-saving medications, without support from a doctor, and without any options should they get sick, or be injured.
Facts on:
Oregon Health Insurance
Did you know...
There are an estimated 600,000 uninsured state citizens in Oregon?
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There are an estimated 600,000 uninsured in Oregon, and the board is supposed to come up with a plan to address health care access and coverage in the 2009 legislative session.
Until then, those who don't win the health insurance lottery should keep shopping around aggressively - online is best - for the best medical coverage they can afford. Even minimal coverage, when it covers generic drugs and a yearly checkup, can offer lifesaving benefits.
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