The Oregon Health Authority will launch a new rent assistance program through Medicaid plans to serve low-income Oregonians whose ability to pay rent has been affected by the medical crisis.
The health authority’s plan is aimed at continuing to house people who need short-term bridging to make ends meet and pay rent. The goal is to help people maintain their health and housing, which can lead to improved long-term outcomes. According to one study, people facing homelessness or the threat of eviction are 35% more likely to delay preventive health care. National survey.
The program, which begins in November, will make Oregon the first state in the nation to offer a statewide rental assistance program through Medicaid. Oregon Health Plan, Oregon’s Medicaid program, provides medical, dental, and behavioral health services to more than 1.4 million Oregonians.
“The agency is focused on continuing to house the people most at risk and, if possible, provide them with short-term assistance,” Dave Burden, the agency’s deputy director for policy and programs, said at a recent news conference. I hope I can get it,” he said. reporters.
The Oregon Health Authority offers this program through a Medicaid waiver. This is a five-year plan approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. States can receive waivers as a tool to test new programs and approaches to Medicaid. Oregon’s current Medicaid waiver is valid from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2027.
During this period, Oregon has nearly $1 billion available for rental assistance programs and other new programs within the Medicaid plan, such as air conditioning, air filters and food benefits. Most of the funding ($904 million) is federal, with $71 million in state funding.
This program can cover up to six months of rental and utility costs, including past-due amounts. People can also receive medically necessary home modifications, such as wheelchair ramps, pest control, and deep cleaning.
The program covers rental assistance, but not finding new housing for homeless people.
“The real purpose of housing benefits is to keep people housed and prevent homelessness,” said Steph Jarem, the agency’s director of exemption policy.
Not all Medicaid enrollees are eligible. To qualify, Oregonians enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan must have qualifying risk factors, such as complex medical conditions, behavioral health conditions, pregnancy, or repeated visits to the emergency room. There is a need.
This program can cover people who have fallen behind on rent because they are unable to work due to a chronic illness or injury.
You must also earn no more than 30% of the area median income. For a family of four in Portland or Hillsboro, the cutoff is $35,400.
State officials estimate that 22% of Oregon’s 618,278 renting households have incomes below the threshold and are potentially eligible.
As an example, a person who makes $18,000 a year and lives alone in Hood River may be eligible for assistance if he or she breaks his leg and misses work, even though he has chronic heart disease.
The agency reached the eligibility determination after negotiating with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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