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What Health Care Reform Means to Oregon

 The Benefits of Health Reform In Oregon

Together, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act will ensure that all Oregonians have access to quality, affordable health insurance. The Congressional Budget Office has determined that these two bills are fully paid for, will bend the health care cost curve, and will reduce the deficit by $143 billion over the next ten years with further deficit reduction in the following decade. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act will reduce the cost of health care for the middle class, ensure health security to seniors, and provide tax credits to small businesses and individuals to further reduce the cost of health coverage.

Key Benefits for Oregon 

 

  •  Provide tax credits for up to 58,300 Oregon small businesses to help make coverage more affordable. [HealthReform.gov, accessed 3/20/10] 
  • Prohibit insurance companies from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for the 872,811 children in Oregon, starting this year. [U.S. Census Bureau, 1/7/10] 
  • Close the „donut hole‟ and improve other Medicare benefits for 580,000 Oregon seniors. [HealthReform.gov, accessed 3/20/10] 
  • Reduce Medicare premiums for the 342,000 Oregon seniors who are not enrolled in Medicare Advantage and will no longer subsidize these private insurance plans. [Senate Finance Committee] 
  • Ensure affordable coverage options for 715,000 Oregonians who are uninsured and 257,000 Oregonians who purchase health insurance through the individual market. [HealthReform.gov, accessed 3/20/10] 
  • Ensure immediate access to affordable insurance options for as many as 76,744 uninsured Oregonians who have a pre-existing condition. [staff estimate using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 4/09 and HealthReform.gov, accessed 3/20/10] 
  • Provide tax credits for up to 378,000 Oregonians to help make health insurance more affordable, bringing $6.1 billion in premium and cost-sharing tax credits into Oregon during the first five years of the health insurance Exchange. [HealthReform.gov, accessed 3/20/10; Senate Finance Committee]