Health care town hall – Looking for input and answering questions

by Melissa Wagoner April 30, 2026 Our Town Community News‍ ‍

When Mayor Jason Freilinger experienced a stress induced stroke in 2008, he not only suffered a medical event that was the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. that year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  he also barely escaped what another one million Americans experienced, most due to overwhelming medical debt – bankruptcy.

“I had heard… all of us are one illness from bankruptcy,” Freilinger told the audience on April 18 at a Health Care for All town hall at the Silverton Grange. His experience was eye-opening.

For Freilinger, the end result wasn’t as bad as it could have been due to family support and his continued employment.

“The job caused me to have that [stroke], but I had to work another two years because I had to have insurance,” he said, adding, “That’s happening all across America.”

And it shouldn’t be, according to Valdez Bravo, the board president of Health Care for All Oregon – a nonprofit with the mission “to achieve a comprehensive, equitable, publicly funded, and high-quality health care system.”

“Oregon truly has the best chance to do something about this healthcare system that is crumbling before our eyes,” Bravo added.

His assertion is largely owing to Measure 111, the Right to Healthcare amendment, which passed in 2022, setting off a series of events including the formation of a Universal Governance Board made up of nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve four-year terms.

“The goal is that the [universal healthcare] system will be simpler, more affordable and sustainable,” Bravo said. He described the board’s mission as to gather input from Oregonians across the state that will aid in the creation of a universal health care model that will be presented to Oregon Legislature for consideration in 2027.

“We believe if Oregon does go first other states will follow,” Bravo said. “If you look at Canada, that started in one Provence (Saskatchewan) in the 1960s. That could happen for us in Oregon. We want to be the first.”

Bravo, an Army veteran and a Board-Certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, added the reasons for a universal healthcare system are many.  The primary ones, he said, are astronomical health care costs that do not correlate to longevity and a confusing for-profit insurance system tied (for most) to employment with premiums that continue to rise.

“One in four Americans are deciding not to have insurance,” Bravo said. “They’re rolling the dice and doing without it.”

But the universal healthcare system the governance board is proposing would solve that problem by doing away with the need for insurance altogether.

“No more copays, premiums or out of pockets,” Bravo said. “Because any time you have to pay for healthcare at the point of service that’s a deterrent… Think about if everyone in this room just had healthcare.”

“It’s fairness, equity and justice for all, that’s what we’re trying to do…” Mary Lou Hennrich – a public health nurse and health care advocate currently serving on the Governance Board as a Public Engagement Member – echoed. “We want to be in this together.”

That means creating a system that includes the input of communities and organizations – health care users, providers, employers, insurers, tribes and community leaders – across the state. Because the goal is to create a healthcare system that isn’t driven by insurance or government run.

“It will really be the people…” Hennrich said, describing a non-profit public corporation that would be established to ensure any excess funds are reinvested to expand patient care. “There will be a board of directors assigned.”

But first a funding method must be established. The one currently proposed has several sources including Medicaid and Medicare (maintained at the current level), employer payroll contributions (for businesses above $500,000), corporate income and activity tax adjustments and a personal income tax of 10.1 percent for those earning 200 percent above the federal poverty limit.

“We’re trying to have our tax be equitable and progressive,” Hennrich said. “We’re trying to look at all these numbers and keep things as close to what they’re currently paying as possible.”

With so much to accomplish, Hennrich acknowledges the soonest the universal health plan could be implemented is 2030 or 2032.

“I’m doing this for my grandkids and future generations,” Hennrich said.

Silverton Health Care Reform Q & A

Questions and answers from the April 18 town hall.

What if a patient needs unique medical care?

“We want to make [the universal health plan] as doctor directed as possible.”

What about low-income people who currently rely on Medicaid?

“We want to make sure we do no harm. They will still be covered under DHS.”

Will people on Medicare be covered?

“Yes… You’ll still pay but it’ll be credited on your taxes. We don’t want people to quit Medicare.”

Will gender affirming care be available?

“Yes. It will be part of the plan, reproductive health care also.”

Will all health care practices be part of the universal health plan?

“That’s the plan…”

What about travel outside the state?

“We will have coverage for Oregonians traveling.”

Right now, there’s a big discrepancy between what nurse practitioners are paid and what doctors are paid, will that be rectified?

“We’ll [equalize] it.”

How will lower health care costs influence hospital occupancy?

“It will go up I think at the beginning… but we think we’ll bring more [health care providers to Oregon].”

If an out of state employer pays for my insurance, will I still be covered by the universal health plan?

“Yes. You live in Oregon.”

Do you foresee rich people/corporations moving out of Oregon to avoid increased taxes?

“There probably will be some people who are mobile and will move… we’re factoring some of that in.”

Will the wealthy be able to avoid paying the taxes?

“Ours is a progressive income tax, not a wealth tax. It’s not that we’re going after the wealthy.”

What about those doing business under the table?

“There are always people who figure out how to game things.”

What about insurance companies suing?

“We’re going to have a huge fight on our hands. That’s where we need the people of Oregon to stand up.”

Are there resources about the universal health plan that I can read and share?

Find more information at hcao.org/.