ATL’s President Heavily Involed with Oregon Healthcare
ByOn February 9th Aelea Christofferson, a long time resident and business owner in Sunriver, testified before the Oregon Health Policy Board in a meeting in Portland. Ms. Christofferson has been involved in state healthcare policies for several years and served on the Finance Committee for the Oregon Health Fund Board, a board appointment by Governor Kitzhaber to work out details for healthcare reform in Oregon. As the only small business person and one of only two people from “this side of the mountains” the task was difficult and frustrating.
“From the first meeting I knew this was going to be an uphill battle,” Ms. Christofferson says. The eighteen member committee was made up of three insurance executives, three business executives with employees in excess of 2000 people, four healthcare providers, three union representative and a few healthcare policy advocates. Ms. Christofferson was the only small business person represented. Since in Oregon the health insurance rules change dramatically for business under 50 this became a much unrepresented group. This is especially troubling when of the businesses that employ people, in Oregon 97% are considered small businesses. Although small business is considered a firm with 500 or fewer employees, it is actually the firms with fewer than 20 employees that showed net gains in employees.
The subset of the committee was a group charged with working on a health insurance exchange, a concept available in Massachusetts and a clear need for small businesses according to Christofferson. Since this concept has a huge impact on insurance and healthcare providers, the thirteen member committee jumped to 80% insurance and healthcare executives and unions and Ms. Christofferson became the only business person, small or large, on the subcommittee. Totally outvoted the committee sent recommendations that included not including small business in the exchange. Christofferson and two other members wrote a minority report that “I never thought would see the light of day” said Christofferson. The report was attached as an appendix to the final report and it is that report that drove the invitation for Christofferson to be the sole invited testimony in their meeting on Tuesday. The meeting will focus on the establishment of a health insurance exchange in Oregon.
On March 6 Central Oregon will have the opportunity to hear some of the most influential healthcare reform advocates in Oregon in a panel discussion. The program sponsored by the Oregon Interfaith Healthcare and Justice Committee will be held at First Presbyterian Church on 9th Street in Bend from 10:00AM until noon. The panelists will include Liz Baxter, Executive Director of the Archimedes Project, Governor Kitzhaber’s organization, Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Mike Bonetto, a member of the Healthcare Reform Board and a Bend resident, and Katherine Mastrangelo from Bend’s Volunteers in Medicine. This will be a program that involves the audience and will provide ways others can influence the direction of Oregon’s healthcare in the future.
