Fight for Health Care Equity Not Over
Advocacy Continues After Key Bills
Shut Down by Insurance Lobbyists
Equal access to health care, free from discrimination, is a right. Yet people with disabilities experience barriers to health care — from physical and financial obstacles to stigmas and stereotypes — every single day.
Disability Rights Oregon continued the fight for healthcare equity during the 2023 Legislative Session, but two key efforts were shut down by powerful insurance lobbyists.
SENATE BILL 492: BANNING “QALY”
Senate Bill 492 would have ended the use of “Quality-Adjusted Life-Years”—or “QALY”—and other discriminatory health metrics in all Oregon funded healthcare programs, including decision-making about where a treatment falls on the state’s Medicaid Prioritized List.
QALY measures place an arbitrarily lower value on the lives of people with disabilities, patients with chronic diseases, older adults, and people of color because of existing disparities in healthcare.
Even though the bill had strong support in both the House and Senate, it didn’t make it out of the Senate Health Care Committee after the Oregon Health Authority objected.
Testimony by Meghan Moyer, DRO Public Policy Director: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/PublicTestimonyDocument/80196
QALY is wrong, and Disability Rights Oregon isn’t finished working to end its use. It is completely unacceptable to score a year of “perfect health” as a “1” and a year of “less than perfect health” — such as living with a disability or chronic illness — as less. Stay tuned for more on this issue.
SENATE BILL 565: PROTECTING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE MEDICATIONS
Senate Bill 565 would have ensured health insurance plans continue to count patient assistance programs in copays for lifesaving medications.
Historically, health insurance plans have counted financial assistance options towards a patient’s deductible and maximum out-of-pocket limit, which made it easier for patients to afford their medicines. Right now, more insurance companies are changing their policies to increase their profits, making medicines more expensive.
Patients often find out mid-year when they’re stuck with thousands of dollars in charges for their prescription refill because they thought they’d already met their maximum out-of-pocket limit.
DRO worked closely with patient groups, especially the Bleeding Disorders Association, to introduce this bill.
Even with strong support in both the House and Senate, this bill also did not make it out of the Senate Health Care Committee.
Disability Rights Oregon continues working to ensure health insurance plans count patient assistance programs in copays for lifesaving medications — and we need to hear from you.
