251 Attend Health Care Reform Assembly! But Still More to Do....

December, 2011

251 MACG members and guests attended MACG's Health Care Reform Assembly on Tuesday, December 6 at St. Andrew Parish in NE Portland.

Turnout was great, with all 19 MACG institutions setting turnout goals, pre-registering and then delivering attendees.  A true broad-based effort! To see if your institution met its goal, see the accountability section below.

MACG leaders planned and executed the entire event.  The Health Care Action Team spent over 2 months planning the agenda and doing turnout.  A terrific team of registration volunteers greeted attendees.  There was more than enough help setting and cleaning up!

In answer to a pre-assembly fundraising appeal, MACG leaders contributed $275 covering the entire cost of a bus from Clackamas County.  Due to carpooling, the bus was not needed and the donors agreed to fund other assembly costs. Thank you donors!


"I Shouldn't Be A Miracle"

All of the evening's presenting MACG leaders did a great job framing the evening, doing roll call, educating and more: Co-chairs Jean Eilers, SEIU 49 and Joe Stroud, Parkrose United Methodist, plus Bob Brown, Havurah Shalom and Sr. Lucinda Peightal, Sisters of the Holy Names.

Bob Brown explained that Oregon is moving towards creating Coordinated Care Organizations, meant to make our system more efficient. The reforms will start with Medicaid users, but are planned to expand to all Oregonians by 2015.

Bob reiterated that as these organizations are being created, we must ensure from the beginning that they provide accessible, affordable, quality, and equitable care for all Oregonians.

Kathryn Druback, daughter of a Metanoia Peace Community member, told her story of receiving a liver transplant at an early age and continuing to need medication for it today.  As a child she was blessed with double or sometimes triple health insurance through her parents' coverage, which covered her $300,000+ medical bills.  However, now that she is older and uninsured through her parents, bearing the cost herself, she realizes how lucky and miraculous her childhood health coverage was.   She wants a system that gives that level of security for everyone.

I shouldn't be a miracle," she told the audience.


The Ask

The evening's invited guest was Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Director of the Oregon Health Authority. Bob Brown and Sr. Lucinda Peightal asked Dr. Goldberg five questions about Coordinated Care Organizations, and kept track of his answers in front of the assembly.

Dr. Goldberg agreed to:

1. Track and plan to alleviate health disparities for underserved populations.
2. Describe cost reduction and quality of care in the same yearly reports to ensure improvement in both.
3. Publish a paper on the consequences of undocumented immigrants' lack of access to health care.

He also explained how these Organizations will shift to paying for health care outcomes rather than encounters and services.  Click here to read the full text of the questions.

However, Dr. Goldberg in his own words "equivocated" on MACG's biggest ask - to publicly support that the governance of Coordinated Care Organizations be composed of a majority of consumer representatives, NOT the health care industry.  Dr. Goldberg was not willing to publicly support protecting consumers in this way.

More work needs to be done on these issues! This is an issue area where the market segment does not want to give up power and Dr. Goldberg is trying to balance the needs of both the consumers and the market segment. We need to organize around this issue so that the Coordinated Care Organizations will be assured to represent the needs of consumers and others who pay the cost. We need you more than ever to send a clear message to Dr. Goldberg and other state decision makers- stay tuned!


The Follow Up

152 people filled out yellow action cards.  118 people committed to help with advocacy efforts during the 2012 Legislature by making a phone call, sending an email, etc.

On the cards many attendees wrote about what was important to them in health care reform.  A lot of comments centered around costs and affordability, and the importance of prevention and primary care. 

There were stories of those who could not afford health care or who were worried about losing it.  Many agreed with this comment: "Health care is a human right!"

One person wrote, "Inequity of medical service is literally killing our society...(this is) ...immoral".  And another said, "We agree the old system doesn't work.  Those who dominated it can't also dominate a new system if it is to work better for the people."

A summary of our comment cards will be sent to Dr. Goldberg.

And finally, one comment was grateful: "Thank you Health Care Action Team for getting us together!"  Agreed!



Click here to view photos of the assembly!
Thank you to Christian Columbres Photography for this beautiful donation.

Assembly Accountability