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Nov. 6, 2020
Contact: Philip Schmidt, 503-383-6079, Philip.Schmidt@dhsoha.state.or.us
Today Oregon Health Authority announced the data from the Oregon Health Insurance Survey is now available in interactive dashboards, allowing people to explore 2011-2019 survey data, complete with demographic and geographic breakdowns.
Every two years, the Oregon Health Insurance Survey asks people in 8,000 Oregon households about insurance coverage, access to care and health care use.
The most recent survey, released in September 2019, found that nearly 3.9 million or 94% of Oregonians had health coverage, a nearly 10% increase over 2013, before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect. Under the ACA, Oregon extended Oregon Health Plan (OHP) coverage to approximately 400,000 Oregonians who lacked health insurance. Meanwhile, 145,000 Oregonians had signed up for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace as of December 2019.
“With the ACA under continued threat and the pressure COVID-19 has put on individuals and our health care system, understanding Oregon’s health coverage gaps is critically important,” said Jeremy Vandehey, director of health policy and analytics at OHA. “As a state, we have a history of seeking out innovative ways to expand coverage and improve quality of care. Being able to identify groups who have been most impacted by a loss of coverage will be an important part of building strategies for recovery.”
The interactive data set released today allows users to examine trends within and among groups of Oregonians across time. The dashboards are part of OHA Health Policy and Analytics Division’s continued effort to make data about what is happening in the health system more accessible and transparent. OHA is also working on a special report to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health coverage in Oregon through publicly available data.
Among the conclusions in the new dashboards, OHA highlighted:
- While 6% of Oregonians were uninsured at the time of the survey, 3.5% were uninsured for the entire year.
- While increases in insurance rates were seen among each race or ethnicity group between 2011 and 2019, disparities for communities of color remain.
- Since 2011 Hispanic or Latinx Oregonians have been considerably more likely to be uninsured than non-Hispanic or Latinx Oregonians; 11.5% of Hispanic or Latinx Oregonians reported being uninsured in 2019.
- From 2011 through 2019 the age group with the highest uninsured rates was consistently 19-to-34-year-old Oregonians.
- Most uninsured Oregonians were eligible for help getting health insurance through the Marketplace or through Medicaid (77.7% statewide).
- Losing Oregon Health Plan coverage was the most common reason people were uninsured.
Access the OHIS dashboards.
Read the full report on the Health Policy and Analytics website.
Coverage information for uninsured Oregonians
Many Oregonians who are uninsured may qualify for OHP or for help paying for coverage through the Marketplace. Oregon’s Marketplace open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 and is the only time of year many people can buy private health insurance. Those who have recently lost a job or insurance through their employer, have experienced a change in income, or had other major life changes are eligible to sign up for health insurance plans through the Marketplace for a 60-day special enrollment period after a qualifying event such as job loss. Oregonians can apply for the Oregon Health Plan at OHP.Oregon.gov at any time. To find out what coverage and savings are available to you visit OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop.
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