Oregon Ponders Universal Care; Voters Offered a Single-Payer System for Medical Needs
The voters here have the chance to create the first universal health care system in the nation -- where everybody would receive medical coverage for everything, from massage therapy and marriage counseling to brain surgery and long-term care.</br></br>The sponsors of the November ballot initiative acknowledge their plan is audacious, but they contend that the health care system is headed toward a meltdown brought about by rising numbers of uninsured individuals and spiraling costs.</br></br>They are pressing their case with an army of 4,000 phone-banking volunteers on a shoe-string budget of $22,000, led by unpaid campaign and media directors, both age 22.</br></br>The measure could pass: The most recent polling, by the Portland Tribune, found that 36 percent approved of the plan, 39 percent opposed it, and 25 percent were undecided, with a margin of error of 4 points. The initiative was winning among Democrats and women, and trailing with men, independents and Republicans. An earlier poll by the Oregonian newspaper found 49 percent against the measure and 40 percent for it, with the remainder undecided.</br></br>The next week will be crucial, because Oregonians vote by mail (their ballots must be received by Nov. 5). The organized groups opposing the health care experiment have yet to run television spots, though they have about $400,000 on hand and are expected to start their ads any day.