Medicine for the masses
If approved, Ballot Measure 44 on the November ballot would allow more financially needy individuals to participate in the Oregon Prescription Drug Program.
The program provides discounted prescription drugs to those who cannot afford the high price of medication. Current restrictions on the program limit those who are eligible, leaving many uninsured.
According to the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), the program works by buying prescription drugs in bulk, pooling the money of state agencies and organizations and negotiating lower costs for prescription drugs.
The measure could help provide prescription coverage to many individuals, including students. According to student body President Courtney Morse, 10 percent of the national uninsured population is made up of students.
Morse said that one in four undergraduates, including herself, is uninsured and paying out-of-pocket expenses for health care. “I think access to health care is a really critical issue and it does affect education,” Morse said.
Measure 44 has no organized opposition and, according to Morse, has a 90 percent approval in the polls. “I think the reason there is no opposition is because it is such a great measure,” Morse said.
According to current law, only citizens aged 54 or older who have not had prescription drug coverage in the preceding six months – and who have an income that does not exceed 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines ($18,130 a year or $1,510 a month) – can qualify for the program.
According to a report by OSPIRG, uninsured Oregon residents who do not qualify for the program pay 22.6 percent more for the same prescriptions than those who do qualify.
If approved, the measure would extend eligibility to anyone who does not have prescription drug coverage, eliminating the age and income restrictions. Missy Dolan, administrator of the Oregon Prescription Drug Program, said that the expansion would provide more funding opportunities for the program.
According to Dolan, when the program applied for grants from private foundations in the past, they have been turned down because their program does not cover enough people, leaving about 600,000 people uninsured. Measure 44 would make those 600,000 eligible for coverage, enabling the program to gain more grants.
The approval of the measure is not estimated to have any financial impact on the state. “This is not a burdensome expensive program,” Dolan said.
Current funds for the foundation come from a past grant from the attorney general and from accumulated savings, Dolan said. The program has saved over $600,000 for participants since its inception, nearly $26 per prescription filled.
Even if the measure does not pass, the program will continue to pursue funding through grants. “We are finding the funding. That’s the bottom line,” Dolan said.
As a last resort, the program may institute a membership fee to provide funding, but Dolan said this would be undesirable. Dolan said the program’s intent is to increase access to health care to improve the health of those who participate, and a membership fee would make it less desirable and dissuade some from taking advantage of the program.
