Policy Analysis of the Oregon Health Plan

Running Head: FHS 327 FINAL PROJECT A Policy analysis: The Oregon Health Plan Introduction and definition of the issue--why is it important to analyze? The Oregon Health Plan (OHP) is a public and private partnership to ensure access to health care for Oregonians. The major components are: Medicaid reform, insurance for small businesses, and a high risk medical insurance pool. “In addition, OHP includes provisions for oversight, research, and analysis to achieve the best use of health care funding” (Department of human services; Oregon health plan a historical overview (2006, p 2). According to the DHS (Department of Human Services, p 1), their current goals are a complex set of ideas that affect every Oregonian, resulting in the need for a closer, more structured analysis. They include: ➢ All citizens should have universal access to a basic level of care. ➢ Society is responsible for financing care for poor people. ➢ There must be a process to defining a “basic” level of care. ➢ The process must be based on criteria that are publicly debated, reflect a consensus of social values, and consider the good of society as a whole. ➢ The health care delivery system must encourage use of services and procedures that are effective and appropriate, and discourage over-treatment. ➢ Health care is one important factor affecting health; funding for health care must be balanced with other programs that also affect health. ➢ Funding must be explicit and economically sustainable.

➢ There must be clear accountability for allocating resources and for the human consequences of funding decisions (2006, p 1). Therefore, looking at a the OHP with respect to its relative history, what policy options are available, including trade-offs, a clearer view of

References: Abelson, R. (2010) . Bills stalled, hospitals fear rising unpaid care. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/policy/09hospital.html Cohen, R.D and Bloom, B. Centers for Disease Control. National center for health statistics. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db29.pdf Department of human services. (2006). Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/healthplan/data_pubs/ohpoverview0706.pdf Gorman, L. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba645/ Health policy monitor. (2004). Retrieved from http://hpm.org/en/Surveys/IGH_- USA/03/Oregon_Health_Plan_Cuts.html;jsessionid=C01B348DDE882BE41261B1DB29 EB56A6?content_id=251&sortBy=sortCountry&sortOrder=sortAsc&a=st&lastSortBy=s ortCountry&lastSortOrder=sortAsc&p_t=2613&language=en&pageOffset=8 Kiplinger, K. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/pointofview/archives/healthcare-rationing-is-i nevitable.html