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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2018
Oregonians vote on Medicaid taxes as costs soar
Ballots are due
tonight at 8
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Ore-
gon aggressively expanded
its Medicaid rolls under the
Affordable Care Act, adding
enough people to leave only
5 percent of its population
uninsured — one of Ameri-
ca’s lowest rates.
Now, with the reduction
of a federal match that cov-
ered those enrollees, the state
is calling on voters to decide
how to pay for its ballooning
Medicaid costs.
A special election today
asks Oregonians whether they
approve of a tax on hospitals,
health insurers and managed
care companies that would
leave Medicaid, as it is now,
untouched. More than 1 in 4
residents here rely on it.
Maine voters were in the
national spotlight when they
recently approved Medicaid
expansion. But experts say
Oregon’s election is the only
instance of voters — not law-
makers — getting the final
say on the complicated ques-
tion of how to fund rising
Medicaid costs.
The outcome could have
significant
consequences
for the state’s health care
spending.
“If it’s not supported, you
AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus
Kelly Burke walks down the steps of her home in Portland past several lawn signs, one
at far left supporting Oregon’s Measure 101. Burke has volunteered for phone banks to
garner support for the measure.
have a huge hole, and where
do you go from there?” said
Stacey Mazer, senior staff
associate with the National
Association of State Budget
Officers. “I followed these
issues starting in the fall, and
this was the biggie.”
Measure
101
would
impose a 0.7 percent tax on
some hospitals and a 1.5 per-
cent tax on the gross health
insurance premiums collected
by insurers and on managed
care organizations, raising
anywhere from $210 million
to $320 million over the next
two years.
Proponents call the tax an
“assessment” and say money
raised could cover the more
than 350,000 low-income
Oregonians who were added
to the plan since 2014 while
state lawmakers work out a
long-term solution.
The loss of that revenue
could jeopardize an additional
$630 million to $960 million
in federal Medicaid matching
funds that flow to the poorest
in the state, according to the
nonpartisan voter pamphlet.
That possibility prompted
the very hospitals and health
insurers who would be taxed
to come out as the measure’s
biggest backers. They say the
cost of the taxes would be less
than that of uninsured emer-
gency-room visits.
The ballot measure arose
from a grassroots campaign
to put parts of a bipartisan
legislative funding solution
passed last year before vot-
ers. Republican state Rep.
Julie Parrish and several col-
leagues were angered by por-
tions of the bill that exempt
large, self-insured corpora-
tions like Nike from Medic-
aid taxes but not Oregonians
who buy insurance on health
care exchanges.
They also believe hospi-
tals and insurers will pass the
cost to consumers, despite
language that limits premium
rate increases to 1.5 percent.
Parrish, who represents a
Portland suburb, spearheaded
the drive to collect more than
84,000 signatures to get the
measure on the ballot. Her
cellphone number appears in
the official voter’s guide with
a note urging voters to call
her with questions.
“This is not a ‘We hate
Medicaid’ referendum,” Par-
rish said. “This is about the
fact that our colleagues put
forward some pieces of the
funding package that we
believed to be unfair, unequi-
table and unsustainable.”
Those in favor of the mea-
sure say Parrish’s opposition
to the taxes is what’s unsus-
tainable. More than 175 orga-
nizations have backed the
pro-Measure 101 campaign,
including former Gov. John
Kitzhaber, an emergency
room doctor.
People who support Mea-
sure 101 have raised $2.8
million. Parrish and her allies
have raised $353,000.
Portland resident Kelly
Burke has volunteered at
a pro-Measure 101 phone
bank. She briefly lost her
insurance years ago when
she was pregnant with her
second child. She now has a
serious auto-immune disease
and is thankful she has insur-
ance through her partner’s
employer.
“What people don’t under-
stand is that people are work-
ing, but they still can’t afford
health care,” she said.
Medicaid is a feder-
al-state collaboration origi-
nally meant for poor families
and severely disabled people.
Over the years, it’s grown to
become the largest govern-
ment health insurance pro-
gram, now covering 1 in 5
Americans.
In 2014, Oregon was one
of 32 states and the District
of Columbia to allow peo-
ple making 138 percent of the
federal poverty line to qual-
ify for Medicaid under the
Affordable Care Act. That’s
$34,600 for a family of four.
Before, they had to make less
to qualify.
The changes brought Ore-
gon’s slew of new enrollees.
For the first two years, the fed-
eral government covered the
full cost for them — and for
those in other states.
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
49
40
45
Rain; breezy this evening
A little morning rain, then
a few showers
Breezy with periods
of rain
Full
Salem
45/48
Newport
46/47
Jan 31
Coos Bay
47/49
New
Feb 7
La Grande
38/45
A high wind warning has been issued for
the North Coast this afternoon and evening.
Winds to the south will range from 30 mph
to 40 mph with gusts of 60 mph from 1 p.m.
Lakeview
26/41
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
12:42 p.m.
none
Low
2.2 ft.
Hi
40
47
53
50
52
46
50
49
50
55
Today
Lo
34
38
46
42
47
32
38
46
46
46
W
sf
r
r
r
r
c
r
r
r
r
Hi
43
45
48
46
49
41
46
49
47
48
Wed.
Lo
29
27
40
35
43
22
31
39
41
40
W
c
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
47
46
49
54
50
52
37
50
48
43
Today
Lo
44
42
45
44
45
46
35
44
45
36
W
r
c
r
r
r
r
sn
r
r
sn
Hi
48
51
51
49
48
49
41
47
50
50
Wed.
Lo
37
33
39
37
38
42
29
36
39
30
W
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
sn
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi Lo
56 34
55 38
36 22
38 19
35 26
40 23
57 28
-12 -29
82 73
39 23
40 25
60 39
74 50
47 28
83 70
46 27
62 41
56 37
54 25
62 36
40 25
41 24
55 44
47 44
66 38
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
W
s
r
sf
s
pc
sn
s
sf
pc
sf
pc
s
s
s
c
c
pc
r
s
r
sf
pc
c
r
r
Wed.
Hi Lo
51 32
39 20
34 26
51 30
40 29
30 22
59 30
-25 -30
83 72
33 23
49 33
61 39
75 48
51 33
79 64
46 26
58 39
42 26
59 34
42 27
45 30
46 32
55 46
49 39
47 30
Applications are available
on the school district’s web-
site, astoria.k12.or.us, and due
by 3 p.m., Feb. 2. The school
board will appoint applicants
at their regular meeting next
month. Contact Superinten-
dent Craig Hoppes at chop-
pes@astoria.k12.or.us
for
more information.
to 7 p.m., according to the National Weather
Service. It will mostly affect beaches and
headlands.
Winds may blow down trees, branches and
power lines. Small power outages are possible,
and driving may be difficult.
LOTTERIES
DEATH
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018
Tonight's Sky: An hour before sunrise, the stars that
appear during early evening in summer also appear
just before dawn in winter.
unexpired term ending in June
2019.
Applicants must have been
a resident of the district for at
least one year and be a regis-
tered voter. Submit applica-
tions to the district office on
the third flood of the Capt.
Robert Gray School building
at 785 Alameda Ave.
The Daily Astorian
Baker
34/43
Burns
26/42
Ashland
40/46
The Daily Astorian
High wind warning today on North Coast
Ontario
32/44
Klamath Falls
32/41
School budget committee needs members
The Astoria School Board
needs three candidates to serve
on the school district’s budget
committee.
The positions include a
new three-year term expiring
June 2020, an unexpired term
ending in June and another
Roseburg
44/49
Brookings
46/48
Feb 15
John Day
41/48
Bend
38/45
Medford
38/46
UNDER THE SKY
High
8.6 ft.
6.7 ft.
Prineville
38/48
Lebanon
45/48
Eugene
42/46
Last
Pendleton
42/51
The Dalles
38/49
Portland
45/51
Sunset tonight ........................... 5:07 p.m.
Sunrise Wednesday .................... 7:47 a.m.
Moonrise today ......................... 11:10 a.m.
Moonset today ................................... none
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
52
45
Remaining cloudy with a
little rain
Tillamook
46/48
SUN AND MOON
Time
6:00 a.m.
6:38 p.m.
48
41
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
45/49
Precipitation
Monday ............................................ 0.27"
Month to date ................................... 6.83"
Normal month to date ....................... 7.52"
Year to date ...................................... 6.83"
Normal year to date .......................... 7.52"
Jan 24
SATURDAY
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Monday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 51°/40°
Normal high/low ........................... 50°/38°
Record high ............................ 62° in 1981
Record low ............................. 16° in 1943
First
49
40
Rain
ALMANAC
FRIDAY
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
s
pc
pc
s
s
c
pc
c
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
s
sh
s
c
pc
s
pc
s
pc
r
r
s
Jan. 20, 2018
HILLARD, Joseph A., 52, of Astoria, died in Portland. Crown
Memorial Center in Portland is in charge of the arrangements.
MEMORIAL
Saturday, Jan. 27
GRAYBEAL, Daniel Mark — Memorial and potluck recep-
tion at 1 p.m. at Imago Dei, 1302 S.E. Ankeny St. in Portland.
All are welcome. Graybeal, 39, of Albany, formerly of Cannon
Beach and Seaside, died Jan. 5, 2018, in Albany. Fisher Funeral
Home in Albany is in charge of the arrangements.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Seaside Airport Advisory
Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall,
989 Broadway.
Clatsop County Human
Services Advisory Council, 4
to 5:30 p.m., 800 Exchange St.,
Room 430.
Astoria Library Board, 5:30
p.m., Library Flag Room, 450
10th St.
Warrenton City Commission,
6 p.m., City Hall, 225 S. Main
Ave.
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
WEDNESDAY
Astoria Parks Board, 6:45 a.m.,
City Hall, 1095 Duane St.
Clatsop County Housing
Authority Board, 5 p.m., Judge
Guy Boyington Building, 857
Commercial St.
Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners, 6 p.m., Judge
Guy Boyington Building, 857
Commercial St.
Astoria Planning Commis-
sion, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, 1095
Duane St.
OREGON
Monday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 6-6-3-5
4 p.m.: 4-9-9-6
7 p.m.: 6-6-4-9
10 p.m.: 3-4-5-4
Monday’s Lucky Lines: 01-
08-12-16-19-22-25-32
Estimated jackpot: $30,000
Monday’s Megabucks: 4-6-
15-21-31-43
Estimated jackpot: $7
million
WASHINGTON
Monday’s Daily Game:
9-9-0
Monday’s Hit 5: 03-11-15-
25-33
Estimated jackpot: $250,000
Monday’s Keno: 02-04-09-
14-16-24-33-41-45-47-50-
51-56-60-61-66-70-71-72-75
Monday’s Lotto: 06-10-23-
25-31-47
Estimated jackpot: $1.4
million
Monday’s Match 4: 14-15-
17-23
ON THE RECORD
APPLIANCE
PACKAGE DEALS
APPLIANCE
AND HOME
FURNISHINGS
529 SE MARLIN, WARRENTON
503-861-0929
Over
3 A 0 RS
IN
YE TSOP
C LA NTY
C OU
Mattresses, Furniture
& More!
HOURS OPEN: MON-FRI 8-6 * SATURDAY * SUNDAY 10-4
We Service What We Sell
DUII
• At 8:48 p.m. Monday, Jason Riggs, 44,
of Seaside, was arrested by the Seaside Police
Department on the 710 block of 24th Avenue
and charged with driving under the influence
of intoxicants. His blood alcohol content was
0.12 percent.
• At 8:15 p.m. Saturday, Micah Kekoa
Domingcil, 23, of Astoria, was arrested by the
The Daily Astorian
Established July 1, 1873
(USPS 035-000)
Published daily, except Saturday and Sunday, by EO Media Group,
949 Exchange St., PO Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 Telephone 503-
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Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office on state High-
way 202 and charged with DUII and reck-
lessly endangering another person.
• At 1:18 a.m. Saturday, Thomas James
Kelley, 24, of Warrenton, was arrested by the
Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office on Commer-
cial Street and Ninth Street and charged with
DUII and recklessly endangering another
person.
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