Oregon Health Authority outlines Medicaid growth, 1115 waiver services and Bridge expansion at Jan. 30 briefing

Summary

Oregon Health Authority officials told a legislative interim subcommittee that Medicaid now covers about 1.4 million people, described implementation of a first-in-the-nation 1115 waiver for health-related social needs and reentry, and reported enrollment figures for the Healthier Oregon and OHP Bridge programs.

The Joint Interim Subcommittee on Human Services heard a briefing Jan. 30 on House Bill 5025, the Oregon Health Authority’s primary budget bill, with agency leaders detailing the size of Oregon’s Medicaid population, new waiver-driven benefits and recent program expansions.

Emma Sandow, Medicaid director for the Oregon Health Authority, told the committee the Medicaid program covers about 1,400,000 people in Oregon — roughly one in three residents — and that the agency now serves “about 57% of youth” and covers “over 40 percent of all births” in the state. Sandow said the Medicaid division administers three programs under the Oregon Health Plan umbrella: the Oregon Health Plan (traditional Medicaid), the Healthier Oregon program for people ineligible for federal Medicaid due to immigration status, and the OHP Bridge program for people up to 200% of the federal poverty level.

The briefing emphasized two implementation priorities. First, the 1115 waiver the agency received in pieces beginning in October 2022, which Sandow said enables the state to cover health-related social needs (HRSN) such as housing and…

Oregon Health Authority outlines Medicaid growth, 1115 waiver services and Bridge expansion at Jan. 30 briefing

Summary

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