Issue Position: Health Care

Issue Position

62,000 people -- including 9,000 children -- are uninsured in Lane County.

That's an outrageous number and it just makes the recession that much worse for people who find themselves out of work and out of luck when it comes to dealing with medical emergencies.

Working with local hospitals and health clinics, Val Hoyle's day job with the United Way of Lane County's 100% Access Coalition is to keep reducing the number of uninsured people until every family in our area has access to affordable, quality health care that they can rely on.

Health care access isn't just good for families -- it's crucial for our economy too. Right now a lot of local companies aren't able to even think of hiring new employees because they're staggering under the weight of rising health insurance premiums.

Val Hoyle has used her health care experience to develop the right plan to make health care more affordable for small businesses and families:

* Make Oregon a leader in affordable health care by working to establish a health insurance exchange where small businesses and individuals can purchase affordable health care at lower group rates.

* Help create community initiatives to reduce health risk factors like assisting people in managing chronic diseases and reducing obesity and tobacco use which together account for 75% of our health care costs.

* Fund in-home care, adult foster care, and assisted living so that seniors aren't forced into nursing homes.

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