Under the steady hand of Oregon gov. Kids-hobbler, "Cover Oregon" staggers on; likely following the well-worn path of the CRC, consuming millions of additional dollars with each passing year. But although they'd been batting around hopes of reviving their failed technology in time for the 2016 round of gouging, it seems that they've abandoned that hope (at least for the time being):
Until late last week, key board members, including Chairwoman Liz Baxter, had hoped to resurrect the state's mothballed exchange technology in time for 2016 health coverage. But on Tuesday, saying they need to stay focused on what can be achieved, Baxter and others moved to take that option off the table.
Of course, they're still hoping to "find money" to raise their exchange website from the dead; they've simply recognized that it ain't a gonna happen by 2016. It turns out that "finding money" is easier said than done:
The board has another problem, however: projected revenues from the lower-than-expected signups. The exchange's funds available for 2015 – an estimated $10 million – are scarcely more than the exchange spent last month alone.
Lower than expected signups? Oh, break out my fainting couch! So, let's see...they burned through another $10 million or so just in the past month, and they have exactly what to show for it? If you said "diddly squat", then step right on down to collect your prize.
We've long had a state agency known as the Oregon Insurance Division, so the rational for having a "Cover Oregon" agency remains unclear (apart from the obvious goal of governmental expansion). At this juncture, it seems unlikely that "Cover Oregon" will go away until they've spent at least another decade spending millions of dollars a month.
