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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2023)
April 05, 2023 INSIDE L ocaL N ews Page 3 Health Benefits Could End For Some Arts & page 7-8 ENTERTAINMENT c Lassified /B ids pages 4, 9-10 Established 1970 USPS 959 680 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 2008 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer--Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member of the National Newspaper Association--Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association PO QR code Publisher: Mark Washington, Sr. Editor: Shawntell Washington Office Mngr/Clasfds : Lucinda Baldwin Admin Coord : Quayuana Washington Creative Director: Kenya Anderson Advertising Mngr: Tony Washington CALL 503-288-0033 • FAX 503-288-0015• news@portlandobserver.com ads@portlandobserver.com• subscription@portlandobserver.com Postmaster: Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Renewal notices will be sent to all OHP members within the next ten months in hopes of keeping those eligblie up to date Oregon to review health coverage for 1 in 3 state residents The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will review income eligi- bility for approximately 1.5 mil- lion Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and Medicare Savings Program (MSP) members starting April 1, 2023, after federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) protections for continuous eligibility will end. State health officials urge OHP members to review any notices they receive from OHA about their health benefits and respond promptly with any requested in- formation. State administrators need updated information to de- termine whether a member re- mains eligible for coverage for OHP and other Medicaid-funded services and supports. During the federally-declared COVID-19 PHE and the OHA extended coverage for all Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) members. This extension ended on March 31.When the pandemic began, the federal government allowed states to keep people on Medicaid once they became eligible. During an historic health emergency, OHP grew to nearly 1.5 million people, or one in three Oregonians. Today marks an end to the fed- erally enhanced Medicaid cov- erage. While most people will continue to qualify for existing benefits, OHA is required to re- view eligibility for all OHP mem- bers by mid-2024. Oregon will begin to notify OHP members starting in mid-April. “We want to do everything we can to make sure Oregon Health Plan members stay covered as long as they are eligible,” said OHA Medicaid Director Dana Hittle. “It’s important for OHP members to keep their address up to date with us and for people to respond to any notices they receive. We know this process can be stressful for many members. We don’t want anyone to lose health coverage be- cause of a missed notice.” All OHP households will re- ceive a renewal notice over the next ten months. It is very import- ant that people understand that everyone will receive a notice and receiving a notice does not mean that action is required. The notice will tell members what they need to do, or if they don’t need to do anything at all. If someone is determined to be no longer eligible for OHP, they will have 60 days before their OHP benefits will end. State of- ficials will work to connect peo- ple who lose eligibility for OHP to the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace to find other health coverage. The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will be sending information to people who are no longer eligible for OHP benefits and advising of potential coverage options and financial help through the Mar- ketplace. People who do not en- roll through the Marketplace will receive a second notice 30 days before their Oregon Health Plan benefits end. The Marketplace Transition Help Center will be available starting April 13 to help people understand their options, how to transition to the Marketplace, and to find help from local health cov- erage experts. “We are committed to help- ing eligible Oregon Health Plan members maintain their cover- age,” said Hittle. “We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks. We want to protect and expand health coverage so more chil- dren and adults have access to the health care they need.”
