Senator Chris Telfer on community-based health care

April 18, 2009

Taxpayer Association of Oregon
Lawmaker Profile Series

by Rebecca Tweed
In the news: Tuesday, April 21. 2009

Senator Chris Telfer on community-based health care

Senator Chris Telfer (Bend'oR) has introduced legislation that builds on the power of private-public partnerships to bring health care to the working uninsured. Senate Bill 862 provides employers access to comprehensive health care that they couldn'it otherwise afford. It'is a multi-share plan in which, for example, an employee pays $40, the employer pays $40 and community providers come up with the rest of the portion through a private-public partnership. `iWe need to help these people; they'ire falling through the cracks. We have to keep our workers working and healthy, it'is better for the community as a whole,^i says Senator Chris Telfer.

The member who is covered is responsible and accountable for their financial portion, for keeping their job and for leading a healthy lifestyle. There are currently four community organizations covering eight counties in Oregon who have amulti-share model in their strategic plan as a way to assist with improving access for low-wage uninjured workers. The reason for the legislation is to empower these community groups and encourage other communities in the state to provide for their working uninsured.

`iWe don'it need national health care'othey'ire our people and we'ill take care of them, but we need to do it in an affordable way,^i says Senator Chris Telfer. `iIt'is a successful program, it brings people together, it'is a win-win situation for everyone and I'im going to push for it.^i Senator Telfer is confident that she'ill be able to get the bi-partisan support for the bill.

Senator Telfer'is experience working as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for over 20 years in the Bend area allows her to bring a different, fresh approach to her work in Salem. `iThere is no other CPA and few others with financial backgrounds so I look at numbers and can approach them differently and without bias,^i says Senator Chris Telfer.

Her number crunching skills are going to do great things for airports across the state, if she has her way. She'is currently proposing leveraging $128 million federal dollars that are coming to Oregon to 27 different airports across the state. The FAA has approved the monies, but the airports have to provide a 5% match, so you'ire getting 95 cents on the dollar on brand new money. If the state proceeds and approves this, it would employ over 2200 people.

`iIt'is a great move for our state. We need the jobs and we need the improvements on the airports. It'is a smart way to use money for public services without adding yet another tax to the people of Oregon,^i says Senator Chris Telfer.
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