Here is the text of the floor letter delivered to all members of the Oregon Legislature prior to the vote:
Like you, we believe that the time is now for health reform. All Oregonians need affordable access to quality health care, with an ultimate objective of improving health. We know that there is much work that needs to be done before we achieve those ultimate goals.
Today we applaud you for passing HB2009 and HB2116 to start Oregon down the path of comprehensive health reform. Thank you for recognizing that investing in meaningful ways to control health care costs and improve our delivery system will help get our economy back on track by making health care more affordable and accessible.
We pledge to work with you as our state begins to implement this historic legislation.
Our coalition of over 40 organizations representing over 800,000 Oregonians came together this session to support the recommendations of the Oregon Health Fund Board. We have watched the hard work done by the House Health Care Committee on HB2009 and the Senate Health Care and Veterans’ Affairs Committee on the 7 cost-containment bills that have been incorporated into HB2009. These combined efforts have produced a piece of legislation in the final version of HB2009 that is true to the Oregon Health Fund Board recommendations for the best next steps to implement health reform. HB2116 will allow the expansion of health insurance coverage to Oregon’s children and 35,000 additional low income adults.
We have recognized from the beginning of the session that the Oregon Health Fund Board’s plan needed to be sequenced over several years. The steps taken this session are only beginning, and we congratulate you on taking this critical first step on health reform.
The work ahead requires that we focus our attention on both the initial implementation and the completion of the vision of the Oregon Health Fund Board over the next several years. The transition to an independent Health Authority needs to be done in a thoughtful manner and we urge DHS and the Health Policy Board to work closely with stakeholders, especially consumers, during the implementation phase, and we pledge to be active participants throughout this process.
Thank you for leading the way as Oregon starts down the path of comprehensive health reform. We look forward to working together as the next steps are outlined and implemented during the interim and in preparation for the 2011 legislative session.