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Oregon Democrats want to transform Oregon's Health Care into universal health care. Can it recover? Or is it gone forever?
Why Oregon’s Health Care Lost Its Way—and Can It Recover?

Why Oregon’s Health Care Lost Its Way—and Can It Recover?

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Show Summary: It was only six years ago that Oregon had one of the health care systems and markets in the nation. But then Democrats “fixed it” with their zeal for universal health care. A look back—and can it be fixed?

Coverage Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, as of November, 2018
Current I Spy Radio broadcast areas. Click for full-size map.

Five Different Times, on Seven Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

Saturdays
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Air Dates: Nov 9 & 10, 2019 | Lisa Lettenmaier

There’s a scene in Star Trek III when the crew of the Enterprise have stolen the ship and they’re being pursued by the Excelsior, the newest, fastest ship in the Federation fleet. The Enterprise goes to warp and the Excelsior prepares to give chase—only to have the engines grind to a halt and come to a dead stop. Scotty turns to Dr. McCoy, hands him some bolts, and says, “Here, Doctor. From one surgeon to another. The more they overhaul the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”

And that’s pretty much what happened to Oregon’s health care.

Oregon’s Health Care: What Happened?

What happened? In a word: Democrats. In their zeal to push Oregon into “universal health care,” also known as “single payer.” Or, more accurately, “socialized medicine.”

A Look Back at Oregon’s Health Care

This week, we’re joined by Lisa Lettenmaier, the owner and operator of Health Source Northwest. Lisa is our go-to expert for health care, especially the “unique aspects” of Oregon’s health care market, given our lurch toward socialized medicine.

It’s open enrollment time. Do you have an insurance plan? The deadline is Dec. 7th for Medicare and Dec. 15th for individuals. See HealthSourceNW.com

Oregon’s Health Care System Transformation

In 2013, then-Oregon-Governor John Kitzhaber, a huge proponent of single-payer/universal health care/socialized medicine introduced a grand plan for Oregon’s health care. It was generally known (in typical socialist lingo) as “Oregon’s health system transformation.”

Kitzhaber convinced Obama to spend billions on this new innovative health care system that was going to transform health care as we know it: improve care and lower costs. You read that correctly. We spent billions to lower costs.

It introduced regional monopolies known as “coordinated care organizations” (CCOs). This,  despite studies that repeatedly shown that ACOs (associated care organizations, as they are known in Obamacare) do not save money. And do not improve care.

Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations

To set up these monopolies, they introduced legislation to bypass antitrust laws, violating the free market. The Oregon Health Authority (nice name, Nazis!) became the overseer of all things health. And the bureaucracies. Multiple layers of bureaucrats between you and your doctor. All of whom end up on Oregon’s PERS. A global budget that removed the ability to track monies allocated per patient. (Because that wouldn’t ever lead to abuse, grift, and corruption.) And a never-before seen cap on Medicare and Medicaid.

Basically, CCOs violated every free-market principle that would lower costs and improve care.

And, sadly, Oregon Republicans helped pass it. Yes, Republicans. How did this happen?

Useful Idiots: Oregon’s Republicans

Basically, the transformation was sold to gullible Republicans under the guise of “saving money” and “local control.” After the fact, they were “surprised” that this turned out to be a big giant push toward socialized medicine.

In reality, it shouldn’t have surprised any of them. Why? Because on the first page, the first paragraph of the bill it clearly said, “It is the intention of the Legislative Assembly to achieve the goals of universal access.” Yes. Universal health care. Single payer. No private health care. The finest that Venezuela has to offer.

Bill language from Oregon's health care transformation

True Stories of Socialized Medicine

Here’s a reminder: no democrat running for president has ever lived under socialism. Not one.  That’s right. None of them have ever lived under universal health care. And yet Bernie and Warren and several others are pushing for both socialism and universal health care.

Know what’s funny? Have you noticed that when people in those universal health care systems run into trouble, they go to where there isn’t a universal health care system? Instead, they come here to the U.S. rather than waiting weeks or months for treatment.

Well, not everyone. Just the rich. And the politicians.

When you run into trouble in a universal health care system, you go to where there isn’t a universal health care system

Want some true stories from people who have lived under socialized medicine? See this thread on Twitter from Carlos Osweda.

Podcast Version

Trapped under a heavy object? Missed the show? Don’t worry—the podcast version will be right here after the show airs.

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