Current Events: Oregon Health Plan - Civics Learning Project

Is access to healthcare a right or a privilege? According to the World Health Organization, “Every human being has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Countries have a legal obligation to develop and implement legislation and policies that guarantee universal access to quality health services and address the root causes of health disparities, including poverty, stigma and discrimination.”

While there is no specific provision in the United States Constitution guaranteeing health care, Congress has the authority to pass laws to provide for the “general welfare” of the people. According to the Constitution’s elastic clause, Congress has the power to make any laws “necessary and proper,” which could include health care. The largest health care program ever enacted by the US Congress is Medicare, established in Title XVIII of the Social Security Act of 1965; Medicare was designed to provide health insurance to older Americans. Title XIX of the same act created Medicaid for low income families and individuals. More recently, Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2010.

Amendments 9 and 10 of the Bill of Rights give states the power to go above and beyond the national law as long as there is no conflict, and some states do supplement national heath care benefits. Oregon is one of the states with a broadly sweeping state version of Medicaid which ensures Oregonians have access to affordable care. Currently, 97% of Oregonians have some form of health insurance, with approximately 1 in 3 Oregonians using Oregon Health Plan (OHP). OHP also includes Oregon’s version of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a national plan that covers children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to afford private coverage. OHP provides children and teens check-ups, vaccinations, mental health care, tooth fillings, glasses, prescriptions, labs, x-rays, hospital care, and even transportation to and from medical appointments. In 2022, Oregon became the first state to establish the right to affordable healthcare when the state’s voters approved Measure 111, which added a section (Article 1, Section 47) to the Oregon Constitution enshrining the right to «cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care» for every Oregon resident.

In this week’s resources, teachers will find background sources on public health insurance in the US and the Oregon Health Plan. There are also recent news stories on Oregon’s recent expansions of coverage and responses to potential federal funding cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Finally, CLP created this activity/lesson plan designed for students to debate whether healthcare is a right, or a privilege.

Essential Questions:

Is healthcare a Constitutional right?
What are the healthcare safety nets in our country and state?
Do you think healthcare is a privilege or a right?
Do you think universal health coverage is a good goal for Oregon?

Vocabulary:

Medicare: a federal health insurance program for people age 65 or older
Medicaid: a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources
title: a broad subject heading or a large portion/subset of an act, used to organize and classify laws, making them easier to find and understand.
universal health coverage: all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.

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