Winter Spring 2018

7 Winter/Spring 2018 continues  MEASURE 101 Measure 101 asked voters to approve a package of health care assessments to ensure health coverage for the one in four Oregonians on the state’s Medicaid program. The temporary assessments on certain health care entities, like hospitals and insurance plans, will generate up to $320 million, which with federal matching funds, will generate up to $1.2 billion to help pay for Oregon’s Medicaid program. Had Measure 101 failed, legislators would have had to quickly figure out how to address a large budget hole, which could have meant the loss of cover- age for many vulnerable Oregonians. One question that has come up frequently regarding Measure 101: “How did we get here?” How Measure 101 came to be In 2017, hospitals worked together with the state legislature and other health care stakeholders to craft a funding pack- age that would help keep the Oregon Health Plan afloat in the 2017–2019 biennium. After a long and arduous negotiating process, House Bill 2391 emerged as a compromise that hos- pitals reluctantly supported. It was a funding package con- taining increased assessments and fees including a 0.7 percent tax increase on the largest hospitals. It also brought small and rural hospitals into the traditional program. Hospitals recoup the funds they are assessed. On January 23, 2018, Oregon voters approved Measure 101.