Oregon Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Oregon?

Oregon climbed four spots higher – from 20th to 16th – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Preventable hospitalizations – 3rd
• Prevalence of smoking – 7th
• Poor mental health days – 8th
• Violent crime – 14th
• High school graduation (74.2 percent of ninth graders graduate within four years)– 34th
• Immunization coverage – 49th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Oregon.

Does Oregon have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Oregon Medical Insurance Pool
Toll-free 1-800-848-7280 or (503) 225-6620 (M-F 8am-5pm)

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Oregon

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Oregon and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Oregon.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Oregon

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Oregon.

Official State Goverment Sites with Oregon Health Insurance Information

The Family Health Insurance Assistance Program -- helps regon families pay the monthly premium for high-quality, private health insurance plans. FHIAP pays from 50 percent to 95 percent of the premium for Oregonians who are uninsured and meet income and other guidelines.

Healthy Kids -- part of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), it is a health insurance program for children of low-income families.