Health coverage for the masses remains an unfulfilled quest, despite the millions who have affordable insurance for the first time. A close look at how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) has affected Oregon's populace underscores that many remain outside the insurance network.
Research by the Oregon Center for Public Policy found that slightly more than 90 percent of the state's residents had health insurance in 2014, up from 85 percent in 2013.
Still, 381,000 adult Oregonians remain uninsured despite the promise of cheap or free coverage. Young people in particular are not signing up for Obamacare insurance, and many working poor residents also lack coverage.
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"Many Oregonians — particularly low-income working-age adults, young adults and certain communities of color — remain uninsured," the OCPP said.
Those in the age range of 25-34 represent the demographic with the largest uninsured rate in Oregon at 20 percent, with the age range 18-24 as the second largest group, at 15 percent.
A huge coverage gap exists between white Oregonians and several ethnic groups, with just 8 percent of whites uninsured, compared to more than 21 percent of Latinos and Native Americans.
Income is another factor: 9 percent of those earning 200 percent or more of the federal poverty level don't have insurance, compared to nearly 24 percent of those in the 138 percent to 200 percent range. The percent is actually slightly lower for those in the lowest range (0-138 percent).
OCPP offered a clever way to put into perspective how many Oregonians are uninsured. The 381,000 outside the network represent a populace that exceeds the total population of three "major" Oregon cities: Salem, Eugene, and Corvallis (377,000).
The bright side is the effect Medicaid expansion has had on coverage of children. As of 2014, less than 5 percent of the state's children were without health insurance.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
