title: Oregon Health Plan: ration or reason.
abstract: The Oregon Health Plan gained national attention by changing the focus of health care from who is covered to what is covered. This change was facilitated by insurance reforms in the areas of small market, employer mandates, high risk pooling and Medicaid. Most controversial of the reforms is the use by the legislature of a prioritized list of health services to determine benefit levels for the insurance programs. Significant debate has occurred over whether the use of such a list is rationing or reasoning. The Oregon Health Plan represents a thoughtful and deliberate blending of fact with public value for the purpose of responsible health policy. It is that unique blending of public values developed through community participation with fact that focused the attention of the world on Oregon.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health Services Commission, Portland 97232.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Sipes-Metzler
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D035082:Federal Government; D033161:Government Regulation; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009922:Oregon; D018579:Patient Selection; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040841:Resource Allocation; D013221:State Health Plans; D014481:United States