Oregon Braces for Potential Medicaid Cuts and Rising Premiums Under New Trump Administration
The Director of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Dr. Sejal Hathi, is preparing for changes to health policies that could impact Oregonians after Donald Trump is inaugurated as president of the U.S. tomorrow.
Concerns that Medicaid Subsidies will Not be Paid
One of the biggest areas of concern is whether the Republican Government will do away with enhanced Medicaid health insurance subsidies.
The subsidies were introduced by the Biden administration in response to the 2020 pandemic. Premiums were reduced for non-member Medicare families and individuals who buy health insurance.
Health Insurance Premiums Will Soar
Health insurance premiums will soar if the Trump administration decides to eliminate the subsidies – and for Oregonians, the picture is even bleaker.
Oregonians earning two to four times more than the federal poverty level of $103,280 for a family of three will pay substantially more.
If federal subsidies are cut, an analysis by a health insurer estimates that 20,000 Oregonians face annual increases of $900, excluding yearly premium increases of 27% to 67%.
However, families in lower income brackets will be protected by the state’s new ‘bridge’ plan offering health cover, similar to Medicaid’s Oregon Health Plan (OHP). The ‘bridge’ plan provides free care to non-OHP members who earn less than twice the federal poverty line of $51,640 for a family of three.
&nspb;
More Frequent Medicaid Eligibility Checks
Another healthcare change could be introduced if a proposal by some Republican lawmakers in Washington D.C. calling for six-monthly Medicaid eligibility checks is adopted.
In Oregon, Medicaid members only undergo eligibility checks every two years, a move instituted by the state government to help people from losing health insurance over human errors like missed communication or errors with paperwork.
Other areas of health care that could be subjected to change by the Trump administration are abortion rights, youth transgender care, and immigration. Oregon is one of six states that offer extended health coverage to its residents, regardless of documentation.
OHA has a new Incident Management Structure
Dr. Hathi has introduced an ‘Incident Management’ structure to track executive orders and proposed policy changes. Hathi says this will help the OHA avoid potential program fallouts regarding funding cuts and services.
Possible cuts to the Medicaid program could affect the Oregon program that funds housing, and transition benefits for released state prisoners.
The appointment of former Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy by Trump as Secretary of Health could also impact the local healthcare scene. Kennedy is a well-documented vaccine skeptic and health officials in several states are concerned that vaccine budgets will also be slashed.