Deadline Looming For Oregonians To Sign Up For Health Care

By Kristian Foden-Vencil

Published December 12, 2018 at 10:51 AM PST

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This study is the first of it’s kind to highlight disparity within the ambulance system. But experts think similar disparities are at work everywhere, from schools to the criminal justice system. It’s just that they can be easily illustrated in health care industry, where data is so widely available.

Kristian Foden-Vencil

The window for Oregonians to enroll in new health insurance closes Saturday night.

So far more than 73,000 people have signed up. Last year 156,105 Oregonians enrolled through HealthCare.gov.

Some experts predict lower enrollment this year as the federal government cut the advertising budget. But Oregon maintained its budget and has been running plenty of ads.

Elizabeth Cronin with the Oregon Marketplace says there’ll be an uptick in enrollment as the Saturday deadline approaches.

“Sometimes people are surprised that they qualify for financial assistance. Or they don’t give it a shot because they assume they make too much to qualify,” she said.

A family of four, that doesn’t get coverage through a job, can make up to about $100,000 a year and still qualify.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that about 20 percent of Oregonians are eligible for free bronze level health insurance, after factoring in a tax credit.