By Jackie Naganuma, Health Care for All Oregon Portland Chapter Chair

Medical debt is still the number one cause of bankruptcy in the US, one third of GoFundMe posts are to cover medical costs, and 200,000 Oregonians could lose Medicaid coverage this year. The state of health care is disturbing, and change is needed now.

Advocates of Health Care for all Oregon are working to change the system and pass universal health care in Oregon by 2028. Our advocacy has led to this moment where the Oregon legislature has created a Universal Health Plan Governance Board. They are tasked with building the universal health plan, front to back, for all Oregonians, including: how we will pay for it, what benefits it will include and how we will roll it out. The state legislature will consider the plan in 2027, and we believe it will be referred to the ballot in 2028 when all Oregonians get to vote on this historic bill.

We advocate for a plan that is equitable for all. The universal health plan will cover anyone who lives in Oregon regardless of: immigration status, housing status or employment status. It is based on the robust benefits of the Public Employees Benefits Board. It also aims to simplify the system by removing copays, deductibles, premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

The universal health plan will be paid through a series of taxes. For the majority of Oregonians, the cost will be cheaper than what you pay right now. Although the details are still being worked out on how we will pay for it, what we know right now is: essentially your employer pays a payroll tax, you pay income taxes and you will get a tax credit back for half of what your employer paid into your part of the plan. Individuals who make less than $31,920 will pay nothing. It is still in preliminary stages, but as it stands right now, those who make $90,000 a year or less will be saving money on this plan. And most importantly, concerns over medical debt will no longer exist, because the concept of medical debt will not exist.

Join us in the battle to make this a reality! Some easy ways to connect with us are:

• Attend an HCAO 101 Course: This course goes over why the current system is broken, why universal health care is the path forward and what we’ve already done to get there. We also go over volunteer opportunities.  Sign up for one of the upcoming April dates: https://www.mobilize.us/hcao/event/896275/
• Attend the Health Care Reform Townhall in Portland on April 8: The governance board is building the plan now for all Oregonians. Interested in hearing from these folks directly? Interested in sharing your opinion? This is the event for you! Sign up at : https://www.mobilize.us/hcao/event/914136/
• Donate to the Cause: The majority of efforts that come from HCAO are because volunteers understand this cause is worthwhile and dedicate their personal time to making this happen. Please help us expand our movement by donating to HCAO: https://www.hcao.org/donate-c3

Our organization has many ways to stay educated and to be involved. If you would like to talk more one-on-one with a leader, please reach out to Jackie, Portland Chapter Chair at: Portlandchapter@hcao.org.

Note: The Platform of the Democratic Party of Multnomah County supports “the right to quality health care for every person.”