Monday, June 28, 2021

Oregon, My Oregon!

Fox, Oregon lawmakers pass bill to make illegal immigrants eligible for Medicaid, Dem gov expected to sign into law 

Oregon’s State Senate on Saturday passed a bill that would make illegal immigrants in the state eligible for Medicaid-funded medical services -- sending the legislation to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown for signature.

The bill, HB 335, expands eligibility to adults who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid-funded state medical assistance program but are excluded due to their immigration status. It passed 17-11 in the Senate, after having passed the House 37-21 earlier this week.

The development was first reported by The Lund Report, an Oregon-based outlet. The outlet had previously cited estimates that there are more than 110,000 illegal immigrants in the state and that the program would cost $100 million in the next two years.

Lawmakers in favor of the bill had estimated that the bill "would expand Medicaid coverage to include approximately 100,000 Oregonians who would otherwise be eligible except for their status as undocumented immigrants."

Oh well, it's not my money, right? Oh, wait. Medicaid funding:

The Medicaid program is jointly funded by the federal government and states. The federal government pays states for a specified percentage of program expenditures, called the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). States must ensure they can fund their share of Medicaid expenditures for the care and services available under their state plan.

As near as I can find, the FMAP for Oregon is 64.47%.

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