In July 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed into law HB 2010, which charges the Oregon Health Authority, in collaboration with the Department of Consumer and Business Services, with developing a potential path for a public option in Oregon that is designed to increase the number of people in Oregon with health insurance and help Oregon achieve health equity.

A new Manatt Health report prepared in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority, “Oregon Health Authority Public Option Implementation Report,” reflects the outcomes of a series of Manatt-facilitated discussions with state officials in the fall of 2021, and represents the latest addition to a growing resource library of reports about state-based public options.

The report examines how Oregon could use a public option plan to build on the success of coordinated care organizations in using value-based payment strategies, cost growth targets and other cost containment strategies to limit annual cost growth. The report also examines network adequacy issues and other plan design features that are integral to achieving Oregon’s goal of eliminating health inequities by 2030. Moreover, it provides recommendations for reducing health insurance premiums and includes a high-level actuarial analysis of various public option scenarios.

To download the full report, click here.