BY JACOB SZETO
SALEM – The State of Oregon’s health care costs have increased by $6 million annually according to actuaries because of newly eligible dependents required by the national health care law.
Under the new health care law, Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB) eligibility rules were loosened and expanded to include more dependents. The expansion allowed for a new age group of adult children aged 25 to 26 who were previously ineligible to be included on their parents’ health care benefits. The eligibility rules were also loosened to include all dependents between the ages of 19 and 24 who were previously eligible only if they were students.
From 2010 to 2011 the increase in dependents between the ages 25 to 26 reached 188 percent. During the same time
period dependents between the ages of 20 to 24 increased 67 percent. Compared to the zero percent increase for dependents aged 19 and below, likely most of the total 78 percent increase for dependents aged 20 to 26 can be attributed to the new eligibility rules required by the national health care law.
According to PEBB Deputy Administrator Kathy Loretz, the state census does not track the specifics of the dependent fluctuations, so it is impossible to tell how much of the 78 percent increase was due to the new eligibility rules. For instance, the census does not ask if dependents are students.
The $6 million increase is about one percent of the total premium costs, in line with federal estimates of the law’s effect.
Think this guy Kroger or whatever the so called AG of Oregon should step down– as he did not want to sign on the law suit with the other 26-28 States against the US Government on Ombama Care. He is not protecting my rights– he needs to go back to teaching or whatever– as he is not the right person to represent the interestes of the Citizens of Oregon– Please do us all a favor and step down and don’t embarass yourself anymore than you have -
I wrote to the AG about signing the suit on health care and his response was that he didn’t believe the case would win and he didn’t think it was a wise expense of tax payer funds. Other states have funded it without tax payer funds, but he wasn’t interested. I do see Kroger doing a lot of good things, but he seems to be more of the Governor’s puppet on the big issues.
Ms. Bleiler -
Wouldn’t funding a legal action on behalf of Oregon without taxpayer funds be graft ?
What control do we (taxpayers) have over what is done by the State of Oregon if the funding comes from someone else. This is a formula for “the best government money can buy”. Hello Koch Brothers, welcome to Oregon. Hello Enron (remember them), welcome to Oregon. We are accepting bids – just tell us what you want and cough up $10 million.
So, why not repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, so that all these new young people can clog up our hospital emergency rooms when they need medical help? It will cost way way way way more money out of our pockets if that happens.
Dag niabbt good stuff you whippersnappers!