Oregon is poised to become the first state in the union to enact a single payer health care plan. In June of this year, the Universal Health Plan Governance Board for the State of Oregon will present for public input the first draft of its comprehensive plan. The finalized plan is due to the legislature in September of 2026. It is likely that the plan will be referred for a statewide vote in 2027. Patricia Kullberg speaks with two organizers with Health Care for All Oregon about the essentials of the plan and the political obstacles it faces. Rebecca Shoon is a professor of public health and board member of Health Care for All Oregon. She has studied comparative health systems and ways to engage the public in health policymaking. Collin Stackhouse is a long time advocate for universal health care in Oregon and also serves on the Community Engagement and Communications Committee of the Governance Board. More information can be found at the HCAO website, including opportunities for the public to provide input into the features of the plan.
You can see Al Bradbury sing "Wouldn't It Be Nice if We Had Health Care" here.
Image: fair use, logo for Health Care for All Oregon, with the name of the group, and the word "ALL" inside a red Oregon shape.
- KBOO