Director's Message

Oct. 27, 2006

To: All DHS employees

From: Bruce Goldberg, Director

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."

~Robert H. Goddard

This month we submitted a request to renew our Oregon Health Plan "waiver" to the federal government. This month also is "Open Enrollment" month for us and many other businesses in the state. It's a time when employers offer their employees the opportunity to update and change their health and life insurance selections. As I pondered my benefits I was reminded, as I am each and every day, that far too many Oregonians do not have health insurance coverage.

For those of you who don't know its history, the Oregon Health Plan began Feb. 1, 1994, under a federal waiver that classified it as a demonstration project. It was -- and remains -- a way to expand Medicaid-funded health care to low-income people who don't qualify for traditional Medicaid but still earn less than the federal poverty level. The waiver was reauthorized in 2002, and is set to expire in October 2007. The deadline to seek renewal was this month.

The goals of the Oregon Health Plan are relatively basic -- increasing access to health care coverage for low-income Oregonians, ensuring early preventive treatment to reduce the need for more expensive health care later, and reducing increases in premiums for insured individuals whose premiums help cover the costs of uncompensated emergency care.

Through the Oregon Health Plan more than 400,000 Oregonians -- 225,000 of whom are children -- are able to get health care. The program keeps costs down by using a managed care approach and a prioritized list of health care benefits that provides participants with a basic level of coverage. 

As part of our waiver renewal request, we are asking the federal government for flexibility to expand OHP coverage to more children by reducing barriers to families.

Specifically, we are asking for flexibility to: 1) extend eligibility certification periods for children participating in the Poverty Level Medical program from the current six months to 12 months of continuous eligibility; 2) reduce the uninsurance requirement for participation in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Family Health Insurance Assistance Program (FHIAP) from six months to a lesser period (possibly two months); and 3) change the assets limit for eligibility in CHIP and FHIAP from the current $10,000 maximum or eliminate the asset test entirely. These changes will help ensure that the Governor's Healthy Kids Plan meets its goal of providing all Oregon children with health care.

However, we all recognize that our waiver changes will not be sufficient to ensure that every Oregonian is healthy and has access to basic health care. We will continue to work toward that goal and amend our waiver as necessary as further policy changes occur during the upcoming legislative session. 

So, as you ponder your "Open Enrollment" this month, remember the many people who do not have that opportunity. They are the ones who rely on the Oregon Health Plan, and who need it to achieve independent, healthy and safe lives.

I will keep you updated on the status of Oregon's request as it undergoes the federal review process. This is a program that has made a positive difference for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians and can continue to help even more in the years ahead. I certainly hope to see it continue.

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us