A local health plan provider in Josephine County was denied a contract with the Oregon Health Authority because of concerns it doesn’t have enough funding.
PrimaryHealth in Josephine County is a care provider for the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program. They provide care to over ten thousand members in the county. But a recent decision by the Oregon Health Authority to deny their contract to serve low income Oregonians leaves those members in limbo.
The Oregon Health Authority says PrimaryHealth is at risk of insolvency by 2022. The agency is concerned that PrimaryHealth won’t be able to raise enough funding to cover their debts if the contract was renewed.
Jennifer Johnstun with PrimaryHealth says the organization has no plans to shut down.
“We are fully committed to serving our community and our health plan members," she says, "and we are contracted with the Oregon Health Authority Currently till the end of 2019.”
Johnstun says that PrimaryHealth plans to appeal the decision. If the appeal is denied, current members of PrimaryHealth would have to move to another health care provider serving the county. Johnstun says the provider has a week to appeal the decision, and hopes to submit the appeal far in advance of the deadline.
