The Countdown Is On for HOPE

The HOPE Initiative is within 25,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot, but the deadline draws near. This Friday is the last day for all signatures to be in Salem.

Former Governor John Kitzhaber Photo courtesy: OSU

(SALEM) - There are currently 615,000 Oregonians without health insurance.

Knowing the number is the easy part. Finding a way to decrease it, a whole other story.

Last August, 76% of Oregonians polled said they believe that health care is a fundamental right. This Friday, we’ll see if they put their signatures where their percentage points were.

The HOPE for Oregon Families Initiative is an amendment to the Oregon Constitution that says access to affordable health care is a fundamental right, and would force the state legislature to come up with a step-by-step plan by 2009 to extend medical insurance to everyone in the state.

The sponsors of this bipartisan effort are Representative Mitch Greenlick (D) a health care expert representing Washington County and Portland, Senator Ben Westlund (I) from Bend, Senator Alan Bates (D) a physician from Ashland, and it is backed by former Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Kitzhaber, a former emergency room physician and architect of the Oregon Health Plan, has been clear that he intends to help heal Oregon’s broken health care system.

When Kitzhaber announced in January that he would not enter the 2006 gubernatorial race, he stated "At least at this point in time, I can make the greatest entrance not by entering a campaign for Governor but by launching a campaign to change the American health care system and by offering people an opportunity to engage around an idea, not just a candidate."

Supporters say they filed this initiative because they believe the legislature has failed to act to ensure all Oregonians get access to affordable and effective health care, which they believe is a fundamental right.

“The Oregon Legislature currently leaves $1 billion to $1.5 billion in federal funds on the table because we have not expanded Medicaid coverage to its fullest,” notes a spokesman for HOPE. “If we tapped into those funds by expanding a variety of programs that new revenue would produce 30,000 jobs for Oregonians... and improve health care coverage dramatically without increasing our tax burden.”

“Nothing in this initiative will raise your taxes. The Legislature can craft a plan that has no impact on taxes, or it could vote to restore the tax on cigarettes as one way of paying for expanded health care. Or it could do something else. But the initiative itself does not require any tax increase. In fact, this measure could reduce prescription drug costs by expanding the current purchasing pool. It could ensure fair hospital pricing. And it could take advantage of billions in federal funds which are now lost because the state does not invest enough to match them.”

The current system of health care for Oregonians is complex and unsustainable, which has been agreed on by all parties. A pro-active stance is in order, and this initiative speaks of the spirit of Oregonians that take risks and make sacrifices for the good of their fellow man. HOPE sponsors look forward to a forum where a genuine public debate can take place, exposing new opportunities to fix the health care system, for everyone.

Sponsors of the initiative mailed 200,000 signature sheets to Oregon voters, but for those who didn’t receive one, they can be picked up in Salem at the Oregon Health Action Coalition. For more information, contact: www.HOPEOregon.org