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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2018)
Page 8 The Skanner January 24, 2018 News Oregon Approves New Taxes to Address Medicaid Costs Measure touted by unlikely coalition of providers, hospital associations and health care unions PORTLAND, Ore. — Or- egon approved taxes on hospitals, health insur- ers and managed care companies in an unusual special election Tuesday that asked voters — and not lawmakers — how to pay for Medicaid costs that now include cov- erage of hundreds of thousands of low-income residents added to the program’s rolls under the Affordable Care Act. Measure 101 was pass- ing handily in early re- turns Tuesday night. The single-issue election drew national attention to this progressive state, which aggressively ex- panded its Medicaid rolls under President Barack Obama’s health care re- forms. Oregon now has one of the lowest rates of uninsured residents in the nation at 5 percent. About 1 million Orego- nians — 25 percent — now receive health care coverage from Medicaid. Maine voters recently went to polls to approve the expansion of their Medicaid program, but experts said Oregon was the first state to take the issue of funding that ex- pansion directly to vot- ers. The taxes are a short- term fix for health care funding that will gener- ate between $210 million and $320 million in reve- nue over two years. “Tonight’s vote is an AP PHOTO/GILLIAN FLACCUS, FILE By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press In this Jan. 19, 2018, file photo. a sign in support of Oregon’s Measure 101 is displayed by a homeowner along a roadside in Lake Oswego, Ore. The taxes before voters in the special election on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, are a short-term fix for health care funding designed to generate between $210 and $320 million in revenue over two years. Oregon aggressively expanded its Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act and now, just 5 percent of its population is uninsured. But lawmakers have struggled to come up with a long-term funding plan. affirmation of our belief that Oregon is better off with a robust Medicaid program for our most vulnerable citizens,” Andy Davidson, presi- dent and CEO of the Ore- gon Association of Hospi- “ cent tax on the gross health insurance pre- miums and on managed care organizations. The nonpartisan voter pam- phlet said if the measure failed, the state might lose an additional $630 Tonight’s vote is an affirma- tion of our belief that Ore- gon is better off with a ro- bust Medicaid program for our most vulnerable citizens tals and Health Systems, said in a statement. “We are proud to have been a partner in fighting for these patients and their families.” The measure creates a 0.7 percent tax on some hospitals and a 1.5 per- million to $960 million in federal Medicaid match- ing funds that flow to the poorest in the state. That possibility was enough to galvanize health care providers, doctors and nurses as- sociations and insurers behind Measure 101. Hospitals said the costs of treating uninsured patients in emergency rooms would be more than the taxes imposed. Proponents also ar- gued that more than 350,000 Oregonians who secured health care cov- erage under the expan- sion would lose it if Mea- sure 101 failed. The ballot measure arose from a grassroots campaign to put parts of a bipartisan legislative funding solution passed last year before voters. Republican Rep. Julie Parrish and several col- leagues were angered by portions of the bill that exempt unions and large, self-insured corporations like Nike from Medicaid taxes but not Oregonians who buy insurance on health care exchanges. They also believed hospitals and insurers will pass the cost to consumers, despite lan- guage that limits pre- mium rate increases to 1.5 percent. Medicaid is a feder- al-state collaboration originally meant for poor families and se- verely disabled peo- ple. Over the years, it’s grown to become the largest government 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 people making A career you can be proud of. Being a carpenter isn’t just a job. It’s a way of life. We’re devoted to strengthening the lives of our members with steady work, wealth and personal growth. We take a stand for our members and all workers. We work together to lead the building industry in safety, training and compensation. We create rich lives for our members and partners. To learn more about becoming a union carpenter, go to NWCarpenters.org. PORTLAND: 1636 East Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 | 503.261.1862 HEADQUARTERS: 25120 Pacific Hwy S, #200, Kent, WA 98032 | 253.954.8800 More than 20,000 members in the Pacific Northwest. 138 percent of the federal poverty line to qualify for Medicaid under the Af- fordable Care Act. That’s $34,600 for a family of four. Before, they had to make less to qualify. The changes brought a slew of new enrollees, not just in Oregon but in all states that allowed an expansion of the pro- gram. For the first two years, the federal gov- ernment covered the full cost for those new enroll- ees. In 2017, the match dropped to 95 percent, adding $136 million in costs in Oregon. It will drop to 90 percent in 2020. At the same time, the federal government asked Oregon to pay more for its other Medic- aid recipients because of its strong economy. State lawmakers also voted to provide Medic- aid coverage for children living in the country ille- gally starting Jan. 1, add- ing another $27 million in costs. Oscars cont’d from pg 7 on the 405 Heroin(e) Knife Skills Traffic Stop FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM A Fantastic Woman, Chile The Insult, Lebanon Loveless, Russia On Body and Soul, Hun- gary The Square, Sweden WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) Call Me by Your Name The Disaster Artist Logan Molly’s Game Mudbound WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) The Big Sick Get Out Ladybird The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ORIGINAL SONG “Mighty River,” Mud- bound “Mystery of Love,” Call Me by Your Name “Remember Me,” Coco “Stand Up for Some- thing,” Marshall “This is Me,” The Great- est Showman PRODUCTION DESIGN Beauty and the Beast Blade Runner 2049 The Darkest Hour Dunkirk The Shape of Water CINEMATOGRAPHY Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour Dunkirk Mudbound The Shape of Water COSTUME DESIGN Beauty and the Beast Darkest Hour Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Victoria & Abdul SOUND EDITING Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi SOUND MIXING Baby Driver Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) Dunkirk Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Star Wars: The Last Jedi Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) Dear Basketball Garden Party Negative Space Lou Revolting Rhymes SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) Dekalb Elementary The Eleven O’Clock The Silent Child All of Us My Nephew Emmet VISUAL EFFECTS Blade Runner 2049 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Kong: Skull Island Star Wars: The Last Jedi War for the Planet of the Apes FILM EDITING Baby Driver Dunkirk I, Tonya The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Darkest Hour Victoria & Abdul Wonder
