Portland Considers Universal Health Insurance Coverage For Children

Portland Considers Universal Health Insurance Coverage For Children in Politics and Legislation

City officials in Portland, Oregon aren’t waiting for the federal or state governments to take action to provide health insurance for more citizens.

They’ve taken matters into their own hands, recently passing a resolution which will eventually offer health coverage for uninsured children.

But where the city has grown impatient with federal and state lawmakers, children must now be patient with the city.

The deadline for their final universal health insurance plan is in September of 2009, reported The Oregonian.

If passed, the resolution would provide health coverage for uninsured children in preschools and public schools.

Greg and Marcia Coodley, two Portland physicians, started the idea — initially getting 40,000 signatures to put universal coverage for schoolchildren on the ballot for city voters this November.

But Drs. Coodley instead let the city step in to create the resolution as it stands.

“This resolution is a recognition that our civilization has advanced to the point that we should be able to provide basic health care for children,” said Dr. Coodley.

Costs will be the major obstacle for the plan, the article wrote. The city would be responsible for putting up $4 million for the first year of coverage, then school districts would take on two-thirds of the cost in the following years.

Nothing is set in stone, though.

With plenty of time to iron out the details, many, if not most, of the estimated 12,000 uninsured children in Portland may get health insurance in the future.

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