Oregon voters are approving Measure 101 by a wide margin. On Wednesday morning the Yes votes were 62% and the No votes were 38%.
Voter turnout is nearly 40%.
Measure 101 will allow health insurance companies to improve a tax of 1.5% and large hospitals to increase their assessment by .7% to raise money for Oregon’s share of expanded Medicaid.
Senate President Peter Courtney said:
“Passage of Measure 101 ensures we’ll have the funding we need to provide basic healthcare for our people. It may be a win, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. Our budget focus must now shift to the February forecast and the effects federal tax changes will have on state revenue. The upcoming session is short. It moves fast. We have a lot of work to do.”
Republican House Leader Mike McLane said:
“With the passage of Measure 101, we must now shift our focus to improving efficiencies within the Oregon Health Authority and in the administration of the Oregon Health Plan. Our state’s health care programs have suffered from chronic failure for years. This culture of incompetence cannot be excused or forgotten in the wake of this ballot measure. I hope legislators on both sides of the aisle will make it a priority to safeguard and protect the investment in our state government that Oregon taxpayers have affirmed tonight.”