April 17, 2018

Attend a public meeting this week to help shape the future of the Oregon Health Plan

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Oregon Health Authority is holding a series of public meetings to gather suggestions that will help shape the future of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP).

The first meeting is this Friday, April 20, and two others will follow on consecutive Saturdays:

• Portland – Friday, April 20, 9-11 a.m., Mercy Corps Northwest, 43 SW Naito Parkway
• The Dalles – Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wahtonka High School, 3601 West 10th Street
• Woodburn – Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. to noon, Legacy Health Wellspring Conference Center, 1475 Mt. Hood Ave.

Anyone is welcome, and advance registration is appreciated.

Spanish language interpretation services will be available at the meetings. If you need interpretation in another language or have a request for accommodation, please contact Stephanie Jarem at stephanie.jarem@state.or.us.

The Oregon Health Plan and coordinated care organizations

At the meetings the public can make suggestions to improve the Oregon Health Plan and coordinated care organizations (CCOs).

CCOs are independent organizations that contract with the state to provide health care for nearly 1 million Oregonians on OHP.

CCOs were formed in 2012 with a commitment to improve care and save taxpayers money.

Since then, CCOs have saved taxpayers an estimated $2.2 billion, reduced emergency room visits, and improved health care.

But improvements are still needed in several areas, including:

• Better access and treatment in mental health and addiction medicine
• Finding new ways to limit growth in health care spending
• Paying providers for improving quality rather than for each visit or test
• Providing better access to housing, transportation, education, and other health-related services
• Reducing language and cultural barriers that affect access to health care

The next CCO contracts start in 2020, but OHA is taking public comment now to help inform those contracts.

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