SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018
Opinion
5 A
(from 4A)
Be informed when placing your vote on Measure 101
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint sub-
missions on current issues effecting
the Siuslaw region are always wel-
come as part of our goal to encour-
age community discussion and
exchange of perspectives.)
M
easure 101 is a com-
plicated issue. Rand
Dawson’s and Dr.
John Egar’s guest viewpoint
(“No On Measure 101 Will Raise
Healthcare Costs,” Dec. 30)
noted many statistics supporting
a yes vote, and why people who
already have health insurance
should support an additional 1.5
percent tax on insurance premi-
ums to help pay for medicaid
services in Oregon.
At a time when many pay for
health insurance on their own,
with large monthly premiums,
deductibles, co-pays and out- of-
pocket expenses in the thousands
of dollars, why are we not
requiring Medicaid patients to
help pay some of their health
insurance costs too?
This should be a considered
source of funding before requir-
ing taxes on health insurance
premiums. After all, monthly
premiums are paid to provide for
a family’s health care, many of
whom may not be living much
above the poverty level.
I would point out that if you
pay for your own health insur-
ance, yearly deductibles reset
annually so you get to pay it all
over again each year. But with
Medicaid,
there
are
no
deductibles that reset every year,
no out of pocket expenses, co-
pays or even a premium.
That is deluxe medical cover-
age by any measure.
I realize people who qualify
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for Medicaid have limited
resources, though I personally
know of cases where people on
Medicaid could easily pay some-
thing to help defray costs. At
least a small premium or co-pay.
Even just $10 a month should be
considered before the state starts
requiring people who pay for
their own coverage to pay a tax
when purchasing health insur-
ance.
And though it’s called an
“assessment” to be paid by the
insurance company, you can be
sure it will be passed on to the
consumer or whoever pays the
premium.
In my opinion there is some-
thing inherently wrong with that.
While collecting signatures to
get Measure 101 on the ballot, I
had a person (who is enrolled in
Medicaid) ask why Medicaid
recipiants are not required to help
pay for their coverage (at least
minimally through a monthly
fee) before taxing others to
finance the program.
If most Medicaid clients (there
are some with no means to pay
whatsoever) had to help support
the system, even partially, it
might increase funds for the pro-
gram or funds for other services
such as long-term care.
Many nursing homes will not
accept Medicaid now due to low
reimbursement rates.
Another benefit would be the
“buy-in” or sense they are paying
their fair share, which is impor-
tant for participants and taxpay-
ers alike. Some like to say health-
care is a right, and therefore
should be free.
It is not free.
And if our goal is to cover
everyone, everyone will have to
pay, rich and poor alike.
I believe supporters of “No on
101” think options may exist (not
necessarily my ideas) to finance
Medicaid in Oregon without tax-
ing health insurance premiums.
They would like to continue the
discussion in the legislature.
They do not oppose healthcare
for children, poor people or sen-
iors, as is often portrayed in mail-
ers, advertisements and televi-
sion spots. In fact. you’ll note
publicity in favor of Measure 101
has very little detail at all.
It’s true that the law addressed
by Measure 101 did pass the leg-
islature, but that doesn’t mean its
a wise use of taxpayer money.
Over the years, Oregon PERS
laws were passed by the legisla-
ture and today we see the pro-
gram’s extremely generous bene-
fits have surpassed the taxpayers’
ability to fund them.
This presents huge problems
funding other important state
programs (like Medicaid), so it’s
important to be careful.
And just to remind everyone,
we had the Cover Oregon deba-
cle involving the loss of millions
of dollars of Oregon taxpayer
funds. There have also been rev-
elations indicating Oregon has
spent about $1.8 million of feder-
al Medicaid funds on abortions
through the Oregon Health Plan.
This would be an illegal use of
federal funds. And on average,
for the last 14 years, Oregon state
taxpayers have paid $1.7 million
annually to legally fund abor-
tions through the Oregon Health
Plan. Oregon now has a law that
authorizes state taxpayer money
to fund abortions for residents of
Oregon in the country illegally.
Might some of these costly pro-
grams be curtailed while at the
same time providing more
accountability to improve med-
ical services available in the
Oregon Health Plan?
This might reduce the amount
of taxpayer funds needed to sup-
port The Oregon Health Plan as
well as Medicaid.
Further conversation, debate
and consideration of options dur-
ing the legislative session is all
that’s being asked.
So, if you’re unsure about
Measure 101, how your insur-
ance premiums may be taxed or
how your tax money is being
spent on healthcare in Oregon,
you have a unique opportunity to
make your voice heard simply by
voting “No” on Measure 101.
LETTERS ( from 4A )
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AT PICKING WINNERS
Of late, there have been letters
decrying the Tax Plan, income
and wealth. Here’s a short list of
American companies that
employ millions, all started by
people willing to risk it all:
Amazon, Apple, Bell Labs,
Compaq, Dell, Exxon, Federal
Express, Google...
These
companies
have
enriched the lives of billions
worldwide.
By comparison, here’s a simi-
lar list from government con-
trolled Worker’s Paradises:
USSR, Cuba, China, North
Korea and Venezuela. Each of
the following green energy com-
panies backed by the federal
government since 2008 had
failed outright by the end of
2012:
Evergreen Solar ($25 million),
SpectraWatt
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Solyndra ($535 million), Beacon
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subsidiary Ener1 ($118.5 mil-
lion), Abound Solar ($400 mil-
lion), A123 Systems ($279 mil-
lion), Willard and Kelsey Solar
Group
($700,981),
Raser
Technologies ($33 million),
Energy Conversion Devices
($13.3 million), Mountain Plaza,
Inc. ($2 million), Olsen’s Crop
Service and Olsen’s Mills
Acquisition Company ($10 mil-
lion), Range Fuels ($80 million),
Thompson River Power ($6.5
million),
Stirling
Energy
Systems ($7 million), Azure
Dynamics ($5.4 million), Nordic
Windpower ($16 million),
Satcon ($3 million), Konarka
Technologies Inc. ($20 million)
Governments have a very
poor record of picking winners.
Without capital to invest in
new ideas and technologies,
stagnation occurs.
—Ian Eales
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