The Legislature took a big step to solve the Oregon’s budget deficit Thursday.
A Ways and Means subcommittee approved a package of new health care taxes that would maintain insurance for about 1 million Oregonians.
Related: 'OPB Politics Now': How Oregon Plans To Fill A $1.4 Billion Budget Gap
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she’s fairly confident Oregon’s hospitals, coordinated care organizations and insurers will agree to help pay to keep the Oregon Health Plan alive.
“No one in the health care community — not the hospitals not the CCOs, not the insurers — is interested in kicking Oregonians off the Oregon Health Plan," she said.
"I know legislators aren’t interested in reducing benefits. So I feel like there’s solid commitment in the health care community to continue funding for the Oregon Health Plan,” the governor added.
In April, Democratic budget writers warned the state had to find about $900 million dollars to avoid pushing 350,000 Oregonians off Medicaid. That’s the populations of Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bend and Medford combined.