The State of the Uninsured in Portland
One-in-Six Portland Residents Lacks Health Insurance
Approximately one in every six Portland metropolitan resident lacks access to health insurance coverage. That’s 250,000 uninsured people. Who are the Uninsured? One in every eight is a child under 18; one in every five is a working-aged adult.
Lack of medical coverage creates barriers to accessing timely, affordable and appropriate care. Despite the fact that many uninsured people are working, they are not covered by employer-sponsored benefits, cannot afford to pay for benefits on their own and do not qualify for government insurance programs.
Dying for Coverage in Oregon shares information about excess deaths of Oregonians as a result of lack of health insurance.
The OPS Summary provides a brief summary of the State of Oregon’s uninsured population. You can also read more extensive findings and research methods in this Profile of Oregon’s Unisured by the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research
What is the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)?
Medicaid / OHP Eligibility Facts
Factors leading to growing uninsured population
- Lack of employer sponsored health insurance
- Oregon Health Plan Cutbacks
- Income Eligibility Requirements for Medicaid
Impact on the Patient, Community & Systems
- Lack of consistent primary care
- Increased Emergency Department Utilization
- Difficulty in obtaining specialty care
- Failure to fill prescriptions
- Poor Health Outcomes
Quick Facts about Oregon’s Uninsured
From: Heidi Allen, Oregon Health Research and Evaluation Collaborative (OHREC)
- From February 2003 to August 2006, the number of enrollees (termed ’eligibles’ by the state) in OHP Standard population fell from 88,874 to 21,678. Source: DHS website
- In Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties, 265,914 adults are uninsured, representing 16.5% of the total adult population in those counties. Source: Available at Oregon Population Survey (OPS), 2004
- 17.0% of the total Oregon population is uninsured, representing 491,791 adults age nineteen or above, and 117,250 children age eighteen or below. Source: OPS 2004
- In Oregon, of the uninsured, 61% are employed. Source: OPS 2004
- In Oregon, those who self-identify as Spanish, Hispanic or Latino are twice as likely to be uninsured as the general population. Source: OPS 2004
- Since July 1st, 2004 OHP Standard has been closed to new enrollees. Source: Oregon Office of Health Policy and Research
There is a great study that describes the impact of OHP changes on adults in the expansion population; you can access their report at: Impact of OHP Program Changes
If you need more information, or if you want to browse, we have multiple publications on our website at: OHREC
