CHCS March 19, 2020
Portland, Oregon, The tri-county region around Portland is thought to be two weeks behind the pandemic course of Seattle, Washington, a major epicenter of early coronavirus morbidity in the US. Health Share of Oregon is the Medicaid Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) for the region’s Medicaid enrollees with responsibility for physical, oral and behavioral health benefits. The CCO covers 315,000 low-income vulnerable enrollees who are at increasing social, economic, and clinical risk as more and more places of employment, schools, and social institutions shut down in response to COVID-19.
Coordinated Care Organizations are Oregon’s Medicaid transformation model that blends physical, behavioral, and dental health funding. Health Share of Oregon, one of the state’s CCOs, is a consortium of systems...