Oregon Governor Kulongoski Signs Healthy Kids Legislation

Bill creates plan that will provide access to health care insurance for Oregon’s uninsured children

August 9, 2007 -- Portland – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today signed into law Senate Bill 3, the legislation that creates the Healthy Kids Plan, which provides a plan “to provide affordable, accessible health care for Oregon ’s children.” Senate Bill 3 was one of the Governor’s top priorities during the legislative session.

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“Today is about one thing: kids, and the Oregon children who live each day as outsiders to our health care system,” said Governor Kulongoski. “In Senate Bill 3, we have developed a proposal that can bring those children into our health care system.”

Senate Bill 3 would provide access to health care insurance for children up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Currently, according to the Oregon Population Survey, over 100,000 children in Oregon go without health care.

The Healthy Kids Plan also provides additional funding to help Oregonians quit smoking and prevent youth for starting to smoke. In addition, the plan will create the Healthy Kids Safety Net Fund to help expand access to community health centers and safety net clinics across the state.

Senate Bill 3 is the last bill the Governor will sign from the 2007 legislative session.

For a copy of the bill, go to: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/sb0001.dir/sb0003.en.pdf

Source: Oregon Governor