Impact of Oregon Health Plan Changes on Health Care Access and Quality
Matthew Carlson, Principal Investigator
carlsonm@pdx.edu
503-725-9554

Bill Wright, Co-Investigator
bill.wright@providence.org

This study is being conducted with the Providence Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE): Co-Investigator, Bill Wright.

Sponsors: (Wave 2) Commonwealth Fund and (Wave 3) Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) with support from the Oregon Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) and the Office for Health Policy and Research (OHPR).

In early 2003, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) implemented cost saving strategies, reducing benefits and increasing cost-sharing for a substantial portion of its members. To help understand the impact of Oregon's policy redesign on adult Medicaid beneficiaries (a federal and state program that pays for medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources), OHREC launched a three-part longitudinal cohort study in March 2003. 

The study's objectives are to assess the short- and long-term effects of changes to cost-sharing and benefit structures in five key areas: beneficiaries' health care coverage, access to care, utilization of services, financial well-being, and overall health status. The ongoing research project follows a random sample of 2,783 individuals from the OHP Plus and OHP Standard programs who were enrolled in OHP when the initial wave of changes occurred.

Wave 2 Results in pdf format

Commonwealth Fund Report

  Wave 1 Results in pdf forma