Governor Brown: Health Care Changes Will Hurt Oregon

The rate of uninsured people would triple if Republican changes to the Affordable Care Act were to go into effect, according to a report unveiled Thursday by Governor Kate Brown. The report was done by the Oregon Health Authority and the state's Department of Consumer and Business Services.

The governor asked the two agencies to analyze the impact the legislation would have on the lives of Oregonians.

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"It's clear from today’s report that the legislation being considered in Congress would only take Oregon backwards," said Brown. "Any legislation that would threaten to triple Oregon's uninsured rate, create more burden on the state budget, and risk the loss of over 23,000 jobs in Oregon should not even be a consideration.

"I call upon Oregon’s congressional delegation to oppose this legislation that will hurt Oregonians from every walk of life and in every corner of our state."

The agencies determined that the legislation will:

• Reduce coverage: As many as 465,000 Oregonians will lose health coverage, including approximately 80,000 next year. Oregon’s uninsured rate will triple from 5 percent to more than 15 percent.
• Reduce federal funding: To maintain Medicaid enrollment, we estimate the AHCA would shift $190 million in costs to Oregon starting in 2020 approaching $1 billion in 2023. The cumulative cost shift would be $2.6 billion over the next six years.
• Reduce economic activity: The AHCA risks the loss of more than 23,300 health care jobs that were created in Oregon after the ACA was implemented.
• Threatens the state’s ability to continue serving the approximately 1 million Oregonians currently covered under the OHP and Medicaid expansion – as many as 375,000 OHP members could lose coverage by 2023. It would fundamentally alter the Medicaid system in Oregon by shifting the cost burden to the state. Today, nearly 4 in 10 adults on OHP who are under 65 are working.
• Lowers costs for young adults and mid- to high-income earners, while increasing costs for seniors and low-income enrollees. Repeals the requirement for everyone to have insurance.
• Following implementation of the ACA, Oregon added 23,300 health care jobs, which are at risk under the AHCA. The loss of $2.6 billion in federal Medicaid funding between 2020 and 2023 would slow economic activity in Oregon. We expect these losses to drain more than $500 million in direct health spending from the Oregon economy.

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