Publicly Funded Universal Care
Oregonians already spend more than enough money to enjoy comprehensive health care for every one of us. But we don't get the care we need. Why?
Americans lose $350 billion in health care dollars each year to the administrative costs of private insurance companies. This is money we pay in premiums that does not go to our care. This extraordinary loss is not tolerated anywhere else in the industrialized world. If Oregon diverted our administrative losses to health care, we would have more than enough money to provide comprehensive health to every one of us, no exceptions, without spending more than we spend now.
If we created a single statewide system of publically funded health care in Oregon, every family would enjoy better care regardless of how poor, sick, or unemployed they might be. Every Oregonian would be free to see any provider, and enter any hospital. Every Oregonian would get the care they needed, when they needed it.
Publically-funded health care would create an economic boom in Oregon. We would see the end of labor-management disputes over health care benefits. Entrepreneurs would create new businesses and jobs without fear their families or employees would lack health care. New patients would create more health care jobs.
Oregonians would see reduced costs for Workers' Compensation, automobile insurance, business insurance, and homeowners insurance because everyone would get care for injuries regardless of fault or circumstances.
Physicians and hospitals would never again need to provide free care - every patient would be a paying patient.
Vermont shows us a state can create publically funded health care without excluding anyone, cutting benefits, and or reducing provider payments.
Everyone deserves health care. And Oregon already spends the money to do it. We need a health care system that puts that money into health care, not administration, and allows all Oregon families to afford the care they need.
I believe every Oregonian deserves health care. I will fight to achieve it.
