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Article: Oregon Health Plan Faces Budget Crunch in Tenth Year.
- Article from:
- ORian
- Article date:
- February 7, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Oregonian. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Don Colburn
Feb. 7--Ten years after the Oregon Health Plan launched its bold expansion of Medicaid coverage for low-income residents, state officials are scrambling for ways to keep it afloat.
The problem is a $180 million hole in the health plan budget following the resounding defeat of a statewide tax increase Tuesday.
With the defeat of Measure 30, "the Oregon Health Plan as we know it is gone," said Erinn Kelley-Siel, health policy adviser to Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
"In 1994, we also had a huge challenge, but it was the challenge of building a new program," said Jean Thorne, director of the Department of Human Services. "Now ...