What You Need To Know
The Oregon Health Plan is funded by the federal government along with the state of Oregon. The program benefits individuals and families from low-income backgrounds to get health care services. There are many different programs within the Oregon Health Plan, the Medicaid and the SCHIP program being the most famous ones. The program is mostly targeted towards children who belong to poor and low-income families but some adults, for example, pregnant women, parents/guardians with dependent children, elderly or disabled people can also apply for the Health Plan program in Oregon. The qualified candidates will receive medical insurance that will cover their medical bills through the program. The income eligibility criteria for the household is 200% below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
Program Objectives
The main goal of the program is to facilitate families and individuals with low household income and who are unable to cover their medical payments due to financial problems. People from underprivileged backgrounds are incapable of paying expensive medical payments as a result of the high cost of health care. Thus, the goal of the program is to reach out to such people and provide protection against the expensive medical bill so that they can live a healthy lifestyle.
Are You Eligible?
It is mandatory for the applicant to be a US national with permanent and legal citizenship and most importantly a residence of the state of Oregon to apply for the Health Plan program. Your eligibility is automatically canceled out if you lack any of the above-mentioned requirements.
Other requirements for different categories of the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid/SCHIP) are,
- The applicant is a pregnant woman or has a pregnant woman in the household
- The applicant has a disability or blind or has a family member in the household with a disability
- The applicant is responsible for children under 19 years of age or is 65 years of age or older
- The applicant has a Social Security Number (SSN) or has applied for an SSN
- The applicant income and resource requirements are within the given federal guidelines to apply for the Health Plan
- The applicant need help in paying their medical bills or health coverage
The agencies that are responsible for administering the Health Plan within Oregon state look for certain resources to determine a candidate’s eligibility for the program including
- Assets/Resources ( bonds, funds, property, credit union accounts)
- Size of the household
- Total income of the household per annum before taxes
- Age of the candidate
- Medical requirements of the candidate
The total annual household income before taxes should not exceed by,
| Size of Household | Annual Gross Income Level |
| 1 | 16612 |
| 2 | 22491 |
| 3 | 28369 |
| 4 | 34248 |
| 5 | 40127 |
| 6 | 46005 |
| 7 | 51884 |
| 8 | 57762 |
An amount of $5878 is added per person if the total size of the household exceeds 8 members. The above information is subjected to change from time to time, that’s why it is advisable to visit a managing agency in your area to help you get your hands on the latest and up-to-date information and program guidelines. This will help you understand the terms and policies of the program and help make the application process easy.
The eligibility for the Oregon Health Plan program can also be checked by going to the official website. To check your eligibility, you need to provide the information including your citizenship status, household size/income.
How To Apply
There are many ways to apply for the Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid/SCHIP) program
- Apply through the local district office
Applicants who are interested in the Oregon Health Plan program can visit the Department of Human Services (DHS) office in their locality to make a personal application. The applicant will be provided with a medical assistance application and it is mandatory to fill the form in order to apply for the program benefits. After finding a nearby office, you can visit it to get guidance regarding the program eligibility and application procedures. Senior citizens with 60 years of age or older can apply for the Health Plan by visiting the local Area Agency on Aging or the DHS office for Seniors and People with Disabilities near them.
Once the form is filled and you have attached all the required documents, you can then submit the application form which will be further processed by the DHS office. The selected applicants will be notified through phone or email and will get notified about to the next level.
- Apply Via Phone call
Individuals interested in the Health Plan program in Oregon can contact the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) office through the following numbers,
- 1-800-359-9517
- 1-800-621-5260 (for TTY users in Oregon)
The application form will be delivered to you either by mail or post. By calling the above numbers you can talk to highly qualified members of staff who can answer any queries you might have regarding the Health plan program.
For Further Information
The applicants can also visit the Oregon official Marketplace to see if they qualify for the Health Plan program. The Marketplace was established to provide the healthcare benefits to citizens of across various states of the United States of America who are otherwise not able to do so.