The high cost of health care, expensive monthly insurance premiums, high deductibles, and expenses not covered by insurance all add to health care’s strain on Oregonians’ finances. One indication of the financial burden of health care is the number of Oregonians filing for bankruptcy who report having medical debt. To help consumers, Oregon policymakers should pursue a variety of policies to reduce the high cost of health care, including a state-level public insurance option.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to consider what work is essential to our society. It's time we start including caregiving on that list.
It's long past time to put our communities first, and our nursing homes are depending on it.
Testing failures led to the widespread COVID-19 transmission. New, recently approved technology may finally help get outbreaks under control.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced Americans to substitute virtual interactions for many things we’d rather do in-person. Expanded access to telemedicine is one change precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic that has changed our health care system for the better.
A surprise medical bill is an unexpected charge not covered by insurance even though the patient received care at a facility or from a doctor they believed to be within their insurance network. State and federal policies, including some specifically aimed at COVID-19 patients, don't fully protect patients. The nation should expand surprise billing protections to include all patients, now and after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
