The Universal Health Plan Governance Board (UHPGB) is recruiting members of the public to volunteer to join its work.
The Oregon Legislature created the Universal Health Plan Governance Board with Senate Bill 1089 in 2023. The board is charged with developing a comprehensive plan to finance and administer a universal health plan for all Oregon residents. The board is seeking committee members to help create the plan, which is due to be presented to Gov. Tina Kotek and the Legislature by September 2026.
The board will select members of the public to serve on four committees:
- Community Engagement and Communications
- Finance and Revenue
- Plan Design and Expenditures
- Operations and Transition
“The work of these committees will be the basis of our recommendations for a new universal, simplified, high-quality health care system in Oregon,” said Dr. Helen Bellanca, UHPGB chairperson. “It is both challenging and exciting. We need to tap into the broad knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences of people from all around our state to be successful.”
Each committee will have board members serve as a chairperson and a board liaison; the committees will also have additional community members, experts, or interested parties. The board is recruiting people with expertise, as well as those with lived experience to serve on one of the four committees. The following is a summary of the deliverables for each committee and some of the skills and perspectives needed.
Committees:
Community Engagement and Communications – Develop recommendations on community engagement and communications materials that will reach businesses, health care providers, and the public. This includes focused engagement with interested parties as called out in the legislation that created the board. Committee members may have lived experience or knowledge of specific industries and communities affected by a universal health plan.
Finance and Revenue – Develop recommendations to the board on a unified financing strategy for the universal health plan. Committee members may have knowledge of finance and revenue, business administration of health care benefits, and Oregon’s taxation system.
Plan Design and Expenditures – Make recommendations to the board on the elements of the universal health plan, including eligibility, benefit design, quality improvement, provider reimbursements, cost containment strategies, and workforce needs. Committee members will need to have experience and knowledge of the health care industry as a consumer, provider, or academic.
Operations – Make recommendations to the board on the future operations of a new public corporation dedicated to providing health care for all people who live in Oregon. This committee also will be responsible for a transition plan from the status quo to a universal health plan. Committee members will need to be interested in, and have knowledge of, health plan operations.
To ensure equitable representation, the board is seeking diverse representatives from all identities and areas of the state.
To apply, complete the UHPGB committee application online at oregon.gov/uhpgb. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 28. For questions or help, contact the Universal Health Plan Governance Board at uhpgb.info@dcbs.oregon.gov.
