Senator Hayden urges task force to study insurer assessments as Medicaid costs near $40 billion

Senator Hayden, a state senator from Senate District 6, told the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue on May 7 that Oregon’s Medicaid program is approaching "almost up to $40,000,000,000 in cost," and asked the committee to form a task force to study insurer assessments, intergovernmental transfers and other funding tools contained in Senate Bill 1206.

The task force proposal, contained in the posted dash‑1 amendment to SB 1206, would review how shifts in the mix of payers — including declines in commercial premiums and growth in ERISA and Medicaid enrollments — affect the state’s insurer assessment revenues. "If we have a 10% shift there, that could amount to $4,000,000,000 in our state budget," Hayden said in his presentation.

Why it matters: Hayden said declining commercial enrollment reduces the revenue base for a percentage‑based insurer assessment that helps fund the Oregon Health Plan. He noted past projections have missed targets (a $291 million projection that fell short by $48 million) and warned of a growing gap between projected insurer assessment revenue and Medicaid spending needs.

Hayden walked the committee through charts and historical bills he said…