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January 3, 2018
Healthcare on the Line
c ontinueD from f ront
election of President Trump.
Voting “no” would jeopardize
health insurance coverage for
up to 350,000 Oregonians who
would otherwise qualify under
the Oregon Health Plan. But op-
ponents say it would force law-
makers to figure out a way to fund
the healthcare program from other
revenue sources.
The special election came
about after three Republican rep-
resentatives, Julie Parrish of West
Linn, Sal Esquivel of Medford,
and Cedric Hayden of Roseburg
pooled their resources to help
gather nearly 85,000 signatures to
refer the bill to a vote.
Patty Wentz, an advocate from
Yes for Healthcare, which also
includes the Oregon AARP, Ore-
gon Nurses Association, Oregon
Medical Association, and Oregon
School Boards Association, told
the Portland Observer that if Mea-
sure 101 is passed, premiums will
decrease by about $300 a year for
people who buy their own cover-
age -- that’s folks who aren’t cov-
ered by an employers’ insurance
plan. And it would fund Medicaid,
which 1 in 4 Oregonians count on,
including 400,000 kids.
“It’s very important for every-
one to vote,” she said. “Healthcare
is at stake.”
Christy Similia, a registered
nurse who endorses Measure 101,
said passing the ballot would pro-
tect health care coverage for pa-
tients and stabilize the insurance
market.
“When families don’t have cov-
erage, a single hospitalization can
throw them into a financial spiral it
can take years to get out of. Having
a coalition of more than 160 orga-
nizations shows that Oregonians
believe that everyone in our state
deserves health care,” she said.
Another voice in the wave of
support comes from the chief
executive officer and president
of Central City Concern, Rachel
Solotaroff, who is also a physi-
cian. The organization provides
facilitates healthcare, affordable
supportive housing, supportive
employment, and peer support to
help move people out of home-
lessness, overcome their addic-
tion, and become thriving mem-
bers of the community.
She told the Portland Observer
that passage of the measure will
mean that 4,500 healthcare clients
who suffer from a mental illness
and are served by the organization
will be able to receive medication,
counseling, and case manage-
ment to get off the street and build
meaningful lives.
If the Medicaid funding falls
through, she said, it would be
more costly for everybody, not
just low income folks.
“What we will see is all these
people that I described to you who
don’t have care will start seeking
it in really expensive ways and
that cost will shift back to the
taxpayer. So by investing in af-
fordable health care for all Ore-
gonians, you’re not only doing the
right thing for the quality of life of
everybody in our state, your also
making the smarter financial deci-
sion for yourself, as a taxpayer,”
Solotaroff said.
Portland’s Resistance said vot-
ing yes will help supplement a gap
in health coverage that the Trump
administration is trying to make
wider by undercutting the Afford-
able Care Act. The group argues
that a lack of healthcare access
disproportionately impacts people
of color and the working class.
“Portland’s Resistance envi-
sions a just society which pro-
vides access to health services for
all of its members throughout their
lifetimes. We’re calling for health
care that is culturally competent
and individually responsive, rec-
ognizing a long history of health
based injustice,” Courtney Rae,
an organizer of Portland’s Resis-
tance, said in a press release.
More information about Yes for
Healthcare, including how to vol-
unteer to do door-to-door canvass-
ing, can be found at yesforhealth-
care.org.
Validates Equality Law
c ontinueD from p age 3
Avakian said.
In each civil rights investiga-
tion, the Bureau of Labor and In-
dustries approaches the complaint
not with a bias for or against the
complainant, but with a duty to
determine the unique set of facts,
officials said. In the vast ma-
jority of all employment, hous-
ing and public accommodations
complaints filed under the Ore-
gon Equality Act of 2007, BOLI
investigators have found that no
substantial evidence exists to
support charges of discrimination
based on sexual orientation or
gender identity, officials said.
Any Oregon employer seek-
ing to navigate the Oregon
Equality Act or other civil rights
protections can contact BOLI’s
Technical Assistance for Em-
ployers with questions at (971)
673-0824.