On January 15, 2024, Regence BlueCross BlueShield members could lose access to all Providence facilities and providers. All 260,000 Regence members will no longer be “in-network” to access 8 hospitals, 90 clinics, surgical centers, home health, and more. This is a devastating consequence of our for-profit health insurance system.

One of the largest hospital systems in Oregon is telling one of the largest insurers that they can’t come to an agreement on rates to charge…and who suffers? Patients. 260,000 people could find themselves in the untenable situation where a visit to their local hospital or clinic could result in thousands of dollars in out of network costs-through no fault of their own.

Oregonians in our current system lose. We pay more and get less for our health care than any other industrialized nation in the world. Health Care for All Oregon is committed to creating an affordable, equitable, and simplified healthcare system where Everybody is in and Nobody is out! 

Imagine a system where there aren’t “out of network providers”, copays or deductibles. Just care when you need it at a price you can afford. Every provider at every location will be “in network”.

Together, Oregon can create that system - The Universal Health Plan Governance Board will begin its work in 2024. They should prioritize their efforts and meet with existing health care purchasers, providers, and employers. They must convey that the current system is unsustainable-and NOW is the time to prepare for a simplified system where Everybody is in and Nobody is out!

Over fifty-one percent of Oregonians receive their insurance through work. A recent survey of more than 300 employers revealed an average growth in cost of health benefits of 6 to 7 percent in the past three years; it also revealed that rate increases greater than 4 to 5 percent are unsustainable. Further, 95 percent of the employers surveyed reported that they would consider reducing benefits if costs increased 4 percent or more. 

The top two cost-control actions that employers said they might pursue were increasing the employee share of premium costs and a shift to high-deductible health plans.

Who loses? Patients and Oregon taxpayers.

Become a member of Health Care for All Oregon TODAY and become part of the solution for an equitable, affordable, and simplified healthcare system!