Oregon could be 1st state to make health care a human right – By Andrew Selsky (Associated Press) / Oct 27, 2022
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon voters are being asked to decide whether the state should be the first in the nation to amend its constitution to explicitly declare that affordable health care is a fundamental human right.
State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, a main sponsor of the legislation behind the ballot measure, said making health care a human right is a value statement and is not aimed at pushing Oregon to a single-payer health care system, a longtime goal of many progressives.
But opponents warn the amendment could trigger legal and political woes and open the door to lawsuits.
Measure 111 got onto the Nov. 8 ballot because the Legislature, where Democrats hold a majority, referred the issue to voters last year. There were earlier efforts, including in 2018 as then-President Donald Trump tried to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s health care law, but they died in the statehouse.
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