NEWS

Oregon advocates testify for universal health care

Saerom Yoo
Statesman Journal

Advocates for a universal state health system urged legislators Monday to consider how Oregon could create a publicly funded, single-payer health system.

The Senate health care committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 631, which would establish such a system, but the proponents weren't asking the panel to pass the bill. They acknowledged Oregon wasn't ready to enact the policy.

Instead, they used the hearing as a platform to voice why they thought pursuing universal health care as a long-term goal was important. They asked for funding for a study to examine how Oregon could finance such a system.

Charlie Swanson, of Eugene, said the rising cost of health care in the U.S. creates hardships for individuals who cannot afford medical care (even with insurance), for employers that lose their competitive edge and for the state government that struggles to invest in other important programs.

Universal health care would cut administrative costs through simplification, he said. Ultimately, all Oregon residents and workers would have equal access to necessary health care, and providers would not have to worry about whether a particular patient can afford his or her co-pay, or whether his or her payer would reimburse their services.

Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, a chief sponsor of the bill, said, "We need to take Medicare and improve it and extend it to the entire population. This is the way health care is delivered in virtually all industrialized nations in the world."

Dr. Paul Hochfeld told the committee that taxpayers already pay for a significant portion of the population's health care — but that they're getting a bad deal. The current system splits people in risk pools, and tax dollars either subsidize or fully pay for the highest risk patients — the elderly, disabled and the poor.

Instead, universal health care would put everyone in the risk pool and spread out tax money and the risk over the entire state population, he said.

"There's a lot of fear of more government involvement in health care, but I think we need to get over it and admit that we're all paying for everybody anyway," Hochfeld said. "And we need to design a system that reflects that reality and puts everybody in the same risk pool."

Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, chairwoman of the committee said she was concerned about how high income taxes would need to be to finance a single-payer system.

syoo@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6673 or follow at Twitter.com/syoo.