Medicaid

If Republicans in the U.S. Senate pass the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Oregonians currently enrolled in Medicaid are more likely than people in nearly any other state to lose coverage and end up uninsured, according to analyses from several national think tanks.

A bill that passed a key committee vote in Congress this week would add a work requirement for some on Medicaid and would jeopardize billions in Medicaid funding for Oregon.

Medicaid cuts loom over House Republicans' budget reconciliation. Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo. says the "right reforms," like work requirements and stopping "improper" spending, could save money.

Some lawmakers are pushing to require that Medicaid recipients work in order to get or keep coverage, and some states already try to help them find jobs. But the effects of those efforts are unclear.

The Republican Senate minority leader said the tax burdens school districts and small employers, while conceding it is critical to pay for the health care of 1.5 million Oregonians.

The architect of Oregon’s Medicaid reform says rather than cutting Medicaid, the federal government should reform it like Oregon did.

Without legislative action, taxes that fund Medicaid will sunset in the next two years, leaving a hole in the state’s budget.

U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, said Wednesday that the nation’s spending on Medicaid programs is unsustainable, and he urged patience as Republicans in Congress formulate their plan to dramatically reduce spending on the health care program.

Oregon Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz told OPB's Dave Miller that he supports President Donald Trump's cost-cutting measures, and discussed potential cuts to federal health care benefits

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order directing federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to drop coverage for gender-affirming care. Last week, Oregon’s attorney general joined a lawsuit with Washington State and Minnesota against the Trump administration over that order, which also seeks to cut off federal funding from institutions that provide hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgical treatment for people under 19. The state’s largest Medicaid provider, CareOregon, covers medically-necessary, transition-related health care, which is currently required under state law. Eric Hunter, President and CEO of CareOregon, joins us to discuss how the health insurer is responding to the demands of the federal government.