Oregon Health Plan To Enroll New Members

Oregon in March -- for the first time inmore than three years -- will begin accepting new beneficiaries in its Oregon Health Plan, the Oregonian reports. The state will use alottery system to enroll 2,000 eligible applicants per month for 11 months. Thenew enrollment will not expand the program but will fill positions lost toattrition since the program froze enrollment in 2004.

Karen House, a medical director with the state Department of Human Services, said that about 19,000 people currently areenrolled in the program and that the program can enroll up to 32,000beneficiaries and still maintain budget solvency. House said more than 100,000uninsured Oregonresidents are eligible for the program. Eligibility is restricted to stateresidents ages 19 to 65 who do not qualify for Medicaid and have incomes lessthan the federal poverty level (Graves, Oregonian,1/8).

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