Winter Spring 2018

8 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. Three Republican legislators objected this funding package claiming that it relied on taxes. They also claimed the pack- age would drive up health care costs—despite evidence show- ing the package would actually reduce costs for individuals and for the system as a whole. Rep. Julie Parrish spearheaded a repeal effort centering on a ballot referendum which would ask voters if they wanted the new taxes to take effect. In October, Parrish submitted over 84,000 signatures from voters—over 25,000 more than needed to qualify this issue for a special election. The elec- tion on Measure 101 was scheduled for Jan. 23, 2018, leav- ing time for legislators to deal with the fall out in the Febru- ary legislative session. At stake At stake with Measure 101 was the potential loss of healthcare coverage for one in four Oregonians, including 400,000 kids. If Measure 101 failed, state funding for healthcare would be cut by up to $320 million which could have resulted in the loss of significant federal funding. The high stakes of this election brought together organizations and stakeholders from all different ideological backgrounds in support of Medicaid coverage for vulnerable Oregonians. By Election Day, over 175 different organizations across Oregon were officially part of the Yes for Healthcare campaign that supported the measure’s passage. As a part of the campaign, hospitals, along with nurses, doctors, unions, teachers, social service organizations, and other health care organizations, worked in coordination to inform Oregonians and encourage them to vote yes. Victory! In the weeks prior to election night, the polling showed that there was still a substantial chance that Measure 101 could fail. The No campaign was very active on social media and worked extensively to reach voters across the state. The Yes for Healthcare campaign fought back using every tool available to them. The campaign’s hard work paid off through winning the endorsement of more than 15 editorial pages in the state, along with a great deal of sympathetic media cover- age. It also had an extensive outreach and advertising effort targeting voters across the state. And in the end, by a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent, Measure 101 passed. What’s next for hospitals? With the passage of Measure 101, hospitals can rest assured that many of the vulnerable patients entering their doors will continue to be served by state and federal funding. Andy Davidson, president and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems called Measure 101’s passage “a recognition that both our hospitals and our health care system are better off with coverage for nearly every Oregonian.” Although Measure 101 itself has been put to rest, future deci- sions will need to be made about howOregon continues to fund the state’s Medicaid program. A decrease in federal match- ing Medicaid dollars means that the question of how to fund Oregon’s Medicaid program is one the Legislature will need to address in future sessions.  H continued 