Just a couple of years ago, the health care budget situation in Oregon was bleak. Oregon was facing a $2 billion deficit in its Medicaid program. The Obama administration cut a deal with Oregon to bail them out, but Oregon had to keep its Medicaid spending growth rate 2 percent lower than the rest of the country.
Since then, Oregon has made great strides in cutting costs while expanding Medicaid programs. One might think of Oregon as a testing ground for the Affordable Care Act and health care reform in general.
Janet Meyer is the CEO of Health Share Oregon, a coordinated care organization in Portland. As she sees it, Oregon is positioned to be a leader in implementing the ACA.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!