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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
Wallowa County Chieftain wallowa.com New transportation taxes coming in 2018 Four new taxes will greet drivers and bike riders in the new year, according to the Oregon Department of Reve- nue: bicycle excise tax, vehi- cle privilege, vehicle use tax and transit tax. Most taxes will be col- lected at the point of sale, but if they are not, the consumer is responsible to pay the tax directly to the state by the 20th of the month following the purchase. The bicycle tax is a flat tax of $15 paid by the consumer at the point of sale. Only bikes costing $200 or more and with wheels 26 inches or larger are taxed. The vehicle privilege tax applies to dealers selling new vehicles including motorcy- Q&A cles and recreational vehicles in Oregon. The tax is one-half of one percent of the retail sales price ($130 tax for a $26,000 vehicle). If a dealer doesn’t collect the tax at the point of sale, the consumer must report and pay it directly to the state. The consumer will then receive a certificate, which must be pre- sented to the DMV to register or title the vehicle in Oregon. The statewide transit tax takes effect July 1, 2018. It will be one-tenth of one per- cent of the wages of Ore- gon residents –– regardless of where they’re working –– and nonresidents who work in Oregon. Employers will deduct, withhold and remit the tax to the department. dinated care organizations — regional networks of OHP providers. Continued from Page A1 “No” on the measure, which would repeal those parts of the state’s Medicaid law. Q. Remind me. What’s Medicaid? A. Medicaid is a government healthcare coverage program for the poor and other qualify- ing groups. Oregonians earn- ing up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($16,100 for an individual; $32,900 for a family of four) are eligi- ble for the program. In Ore- gon, the Medicaid program is known as the Oregon Health Plan and covers about 1 mil- lion people, including 400,000 kids. Q. How is the Oregon Health Plan financed? A. Both the state and the fed- eral government pay for it with public funds, but the fed- eral government picks up most of the tab. Plus, hospitals, insurers and coordinated care organizations all pay taxes — described in the measure as “assessments” — to the state. Oregon uses that money to get matching funding from the federal government. Q. How much do hospi- tals pay? A. Hospitals pay a 5.3 per- cent assessment on net reve- nues, which, once matched by the feds, is returned to them as a group and redistributed. Under the state law passed earlier this year, they also pay a .7 percent assessment on net revenues that is not returned to them, but put into a state fund for healthcare. Q. What does a “yes” vote mean? A. A “yes” vote means you want the state to impose and keep the nonrefundable .7 percent assessment on hospi- tals, as well as assessments on insurers, the Public Employ- ees Benefits Board and coor- Q. What does a “no” vote mean? A. A “no” vote means you wish to repeal the nonrefund- able .7 percent assessment, and the assessments on insur- ers, the Public Employees Benefits Board and coordi- nated care organizations. Q. How does this ballot measure affect people on the Oregon Health Plan? A. Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians gained Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which allowed states to provide coverage to peo- ple making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. As of November 2016, about 366,000 people were eligible for OHP under the Affordable Care Act. Previously only those mak- ing up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level were considered eligible. But that group, earning between 100 percent and 138 percent of the federal poverty level, isn’t legally required by the federal government to be covered by states. Supporters of Measure 101 say that if it fails, the Legisla- ture could decide to cut those people from the health plan to save the money that the state government won’t be able to collect. Q. If the measure fails, would lawmakers have to cut the health plan budget? A. No, but proponents note that faced with funding gaps in the past, lawmakers have knocked people off the Ore- gon Health Plan. “If you are a Medicaid recipient, this is about whether you have access to your health care,” said Jessica Adamson, a lob- byist for Providence Health & Services, which is backing Measure 101. “This is about whether or not the funding is there to fully fund this pro- To whom it may concern, On Nov 11th 2017, I entered the land of the Fence Creek Ranch without permission while hunting elk in the Chesnimnus unit of Wallowa County. I sincerely apologize to the landowner and any agents of the ranch. I would also like to remind other hunters and visitors to public lands that we must respect the rights of private land owners at all times. Any unlawful entrance, regardless of the purpose, upon such premises will result in prosecution for trespass. I have learned this lesson first hand and will never repeat my mistake. Sincerely, Drew Johnson MOVING SALE 10% off accessories • up to 25% off smalls up to 20% off furniture • Red Tags up to 30% off Some items may be excluded. News BASKETS Continued from Page A1 After discussing the project at various points throughout the year, plan- ning begins in earnest in October. After tweaking whatever didn’t work the previous year, the next step is getting out the word asking people to sign up for the program. The Elks lists a “sug- gested” date of Nov. 10 for having all applications returned. Most don’t meet the deadline. This year, one request came in after the delivery date. Morgan said a box was prepared and deliv- ered the day after Christmas. The success of the pro- motion determines to a large extent the participation level. This year’s numbers were up 25 families from last year, but still lower than the average of 150 families, gram. Anything else besides Measure 101 is a gamble. There is no Plan B.” Opponents counter that state legislators can find that money elsewhere in the bud- get to cover those people. “This ballot measure isn’t about whether Medicaid is good or bad,” said Parrish, the lawmaker urging a “no” vote. “It’s about whether we picked the right funding mechanism to pay for it.” Q. I buy my own insur- ance. Does this affect how much I pay? A. Yes. Under the law, insur- ers will be assessed a 1.5 percent of gross premiums earned. Premiums on the indi- vidual market could increase by 1.5 percent because the legislation allows insurers to increase premiums by up to that amount to offset the tax that they’ll be paying, oppo- nents say. Q. So if the tax fails, my rates won’t go up? A. Not necessarily. Support- ers of Measure 101 say that expanded Medicaid coverage reduces demands on costly emergency care. It also funds a program called reinsurance that is designed to hold down rate increases in premiums for people who buy their own insurance. It essentially acts as insur- ance for insurers, providing a pool of money to reimburse insurers part of the cost of very expensive procedures. In 2018, the program is holding rates in Oregon’s individual health insurance market, on average, 6 percent lower than January 3, 2018 according to Morgan. The application form was printed in two separate edi- tions of the Chieftain, and copies were distributed far and wide. The Tree of Giving proj- ect runs simultaneously, organized by City of Enter- prise employees Michele Young and Lacey McQuead, along with Department of Youth Services employees Mandy Decker and Amy Stangel. Funds are used for “special gifts” for seniors and children. On Monday prior to the delivery date, boxes gath- ered from various points around the county are dec- orated. The contents are secured from donations, Food City Family Foods in Wallowa and Dollar Stretcher in Enterprise. Safeway participates in a separate program through Community Connection. Next, tables are erected they would be without reinsur- ance, according to the Depart- ment of Consumer and Busi- ness Services. That’s about $300 less per year, according to the “Yes on 101” campaign. Q. I get insurance through my employer. Does this affect how much I’ll pay? A. If you work for a business with 50 employees or fewer, neither outcome of the mea- sure likely will affect your rates in 2018, but likely would in 2019. Since 2018 rates have already been approved by the Oregon Department of Con- sumer and Business Services, the Legislature would have to take action to change those rates. Insurers in the small group market would pay the 1.5 per- cent tax on gross premiums earned. Q. What about big employers? A. For Oregonians who are covered through an employer with more than 50 employ- ees, insurance costs will likely not immediately change due to either outcome of the measure, either. The state doesn’t regu- late rates for large employers. Some large employers go out and buy plans from insur- ers. The state doesn’t regulate rates for those types of plans, but it does regulate benefits, the way policy contracts are written and the financial sol- vency of companies offer- ing plans. Those insurers who provide plans in the large group market will pay the 1.5 percent assessment as well if Measure 101 passes. throughout Cloverlead Hall, boxes are set out, and a label with the address of the fam- ily to receive it and phone number is attached. Nonperishable food items are packed first, later fruits and vegetables. Delivery day dawns early. This year, around 28 volunteers began work at 7:30 a.m. “That’s probably a bit early,” Morgan said. “Some folks weren’t up yet when we arrived.” The first wave includes loading a trailer with all of the baskets designated for Wallowa families, creat- ing a central delivery point. Volunteers work out of the trailer until everything is delivered. Back in Enterprise, vol- unteers began packing boxes into their vehicles –– as many as can be accom- modated –– and set off to play Santa Claus. The entire A7 process was completed by 10 a.m. Some of the 120 families are large, some small and some are singles. One fam- ily in Lostine included 10 individuals. Four families included seven, three fami- lies included six and 26 fam- ilies had five members each and 26 families of five. Morgan reckons 380 individuals were impacted by the program. “Most everyone is grate- ful,” Morgan said. Volun- teers who meet with com- plaints are instructed not to be judgmental, but “be gen- erous and move on.” For Morgan, the most reward part of the project is getting the community involved. “I love working with the Elks and all we do to put this on,” he said. “But there are so many others involved. It reaffirms that this county is a generous county.” Q. My company is self-in- sured. What can I expect? A. Some companies — usually bigger ones — self-insure and get plans through what’s called a third party administra- tor. About 790,000 Oregonians are enrolled in a plan through a self-insured employer, accord- ing to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. The state doesn’t regulate any part of those plans due to federal law. Self-insured employers are exempt from paying the state tax on the pre- miums specified on the ballot. figure that includes both state and federal matching funds. How does this election affect people on Medicare? Measure 101 will not have an effect on Medicare cover- age. Medicare, the healthcare coverage program for people age 65 and older, is funded solely by the federal govern- ment and would not be affected by changes in state policy. Q. How much does all of this cost? A. Oregon’s Medicaid pro- gram costs $9.3 billion in state and federal funds per year, according to the Oregon Sec- retary of State’s office. If the measure is over- turned, legislators would face an $840 million to $1.3 billion hole in the Medicaid budget, a Q. Will the outcome of the vote settle this issue? A. No. If Ballot Measure 101 fails in January, legislators will have to re-balance the budget during the February special session. But even if the mea- sure passes, the funding pro- visions expire, meaning law- makers would be debating this again in 2019. Q. What about Tricare? A. Tricare, the health insur- ance program for military members, will not be affected by the insurance tax. Planning a get-away? 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