From Newsgroup: alt.law-enforcement
Many will be aghast, but I suppose Baxter will think this is good!
from
https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-spending-more-money-on-healthcare-for-non-citizens-than-for-state-police-money-immigrant-policy-politics-republicans-democrats-osp-medicare
Oregon spending more money on health care for noncitizens than state
police, budget shows
by Tanvi VarmaThu, October 16, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Updated Mon, October 20, 2025 at 11:51 AM
UserWay icon for accessibility widget
STATE REVENUE FORECAST captioned.jpg
OSP FILE_frame_0.jpeg
3
VIEW ALL PHOTOS
RAYFIELD TOWNHALL_frame_449.jpeg
{p} For the current biennium, about $1.5 billion is budgeted towards the Healthier Oregon program. About $717 million is budgeted towards OSP, according to the Department of State Police Legislative Adopted Budget.
(SBG, FILE){/p}
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) rCo In a conversation with KATU on Thursday, House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer, of McMinnville, discussed the
importance of raising awareness about the state's spending disparity
between health care for noncitizens and the Oregon State Police.
For the current biennium, about $1.2 billion is budgeted toward the
Healthier Oregon program. That's according to a spokesperson from the
Oregon Health Authority. Additionally, about $717 million is budgeted
toward OSP, according to the Department of State Police Legislative
Adopted Budget.
Essentially, the state is going to be spending a little less than double
what it's spending on state police on health care for noncitizens.
READ ALSO | Gov. Kotek has yet to sign the transportation bill, GOP says
it's a 'calculated move'
According to the Oregon Health Authority's budget review for the current biennium, the program "is an Oregon Health Plan (OHP), non-Medicaid
program that covers members who meet eligibility requirements for OHP
except for their citizenship status."
KATU asked Elmer about the disparity. Specifically, we asked, "Why not
fund undocumented immigrants in their health care as opposed to making hospitals bear the cost for ER visits that will inevitably occur?"
"Yeah, and I think you know that is a fair question and that is a good
point and that's definitely part of the conversation. But it's not the
only conversation here at hand," said Elmer. "But what else is happening
here is that this coverage to healthy Oregon is way more than just
emergency room visits. I mean, we're talking full-on dental care,
full-on health care, including preventative. We're talking about
psychiatric care."
According to the American Immigration Council (AIC), immigrants in
Oregon contribute a little over $500 million to Medicare. About a
quarter of those immigrants are undocumented.
AIC writes, "Like all residents of the United States, regardless of
where they were born, immigrants make use of public services like
education, healthcare, and public safety. Even with these costs,
however, immigrantsrCO economic contributions far outweigh the cost of additional public services they incur."
Additionally, AIC data shows that undocumented immigrants pay hundreds
of millions of local, state, and federal tax dollars. In fact, the total
is close to $700 million.
A spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority also weighed in, telling
KATU, "People with health coverage can instead focus on earning a
living, raising their families, supporting the larger community and
making Oregon a better place for all. Healthier Oregon enables more
people to be insured and helps keep the overall cost of health care down."
In a news release sent earlier this week, Elmer called for
"accountability" over the disparity.
This is what we asked her: "You mentioned accountability here is
important, but since the budget's already been passed, what does accountability look like?"
She said, in part, "Broadly speaking accountability is we want to make
sure that we're giving the whole story to Oregonians so they understand exactly what all these numbers mean."
A spokesperson for the Oregon Health Authority sent us general
information about the Healthier Oregon Plan:
Oregon Health Authority continues to stand with immigrant communities
and all 1.4 million people who rely on OregonrCOs Medicaid program. Our mission is to ensure health care access, and we oppose all efforts to
thwart it.
Since July 2023, Healthier Oregon has provided free health coverage to children and adults who meet income and other eligibility criteria for
the staterCOs Medicaid program regardless of their immigration status.
About 105,000 people are currently enrolled in Healthier Oregon, which
covers the same physical, behavioral and oral health care that is
covered by OregonrCOs traditional Medicaid program - including primary
care, emergency and hospital care and prescription medications.
A variety of immigrants can qualify for Healthier Oregon, including
people who have refugee status, lawful permanent residents (rCLgreen cardrCY holders) who have been in the U.S. less than five years, those who are enrolled in DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), individuals
with student or work visas, and others who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid except for their immigration status.
The total 2025-27 budget for the Healthier Oregon program is
approximately $1.2 billion, with about $900 million covered by state
funds and about $300 million covered by federal funds. The federal
funding portion covers emergency and pregnancy care that the federal government is required to cover nationwide per the Emergency Medical
Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) of 1986.
We also reached out to the Oregon State Police to find out whether they
agree with the current budget, and a spokesperson sent us the following response:
READ THE COMMENTS (143)
The Oregon State Police receives a budget each biennium as approved
through the legislative process and in coordination with the GovernorrCOs recommended budget. We are proud of our team for taking those funds and
using every dollar to provide meaningful services to the communities of Oregon. Regardless of budget size, we know our team is committed to
fulfilling the mission of the Oregon State Police- rCLsafeguarding life, property, and natural resourcesrCY.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2