A new study finds Oregon’s health care sector is going to have to expand substantially to keep up with the number of people with new health insurance.
Back in 2008, Oregon held a health care lottery. Winners were given Medicaid, losers weren’t.
By comparing those two populations, Dr. Jennifer DeVoe of OHSU found something interesting.
Of every 1,000 people who didn’t have health insurance, 200 visited their doctor at least once in an average month. That compares to more than 280 people a month for those with insurance.
DeVoe said that increase could be a problem.
“The concerning fact is that there’s a primary care shortage, and so we’re really wanting to better understand how we need to expand our workforce,” she said.
Oregon’s coordinated care organizations are trying to expand to meet that demand.
Trillium Health in Eugene, for example, is building a new clinic, paying bonuses to doctors who accept new members and hiring time-and-motion consultants.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
