QuickTake:

The senator is pushing a plan to give every American access to affordable healthcare, upending barriers people face from high costs and insurers.

A diabetic faces barriers obtaining life-saving insulin. 

A primary care doctor says the system is broken, with people relying upon emergency rooms for care.

An elderly couple that once had a six-figure income files for bankruptcy because of medical costs.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden listened to these stories about the U.S. healthcare system as part of an event in Eugene on Tuesday, Aug. 11, organized by his staff. Nearly 100 people attended.

It was part of a series of meetings the Oregon Democrat has scheduled across the state, ahead of his push called “Reimagining Healthcare for America,” which seeks to provide every American affordable access to healthcare.

Healthcare costs have been rising for years. But with the 2025 passage of H.R. 1, the Republican-backed tax-and-spending bill, healthcare providers and state officials anticipate deep cuts to Medicaid, which provides coverage to low and moderate-income Oregonians.

About 127,000 Lane County residents are enrolled in the program. Statewide it serves about 1.4 million people — about a third of Oregonians, according to state data.

At the event, Wyden called H.R. 1, which was supported by President Donald Trump, “a disaster from A to Z,” and contrasted it with the goal of his effort.

“We’re going to reimagine healthcare and put the focus on working families,” Wyden said, as supporters applauded.

The full impacts of H.R. 1 won’t emerge until 2027 — after this year’s November elections. Wyden noted the timing, saying the “Trump people hot-wired their law so you wouldn’t find out until after the election. That’s about as gross as it gets.”

Under H.R. 1, state officials anticipate a $421 million gap in the state’s Medicaid budget for 2027-2029. The program relies on federal matching dollars. New federal requirements start in 2027 and most participants will need to work, volunteer or be enrolled in school. Opponents say the requirements will create red tape that will lead to people falling off Medicaid enrollment rolls.

Even without those changes, barriers remain. Speakers at Thursday’s event shared personal stories. 

Among them were Lee Bliven of Eugene, and his wife, Susan Bliven. Doctors found 30 pounds of tumors in her body. She also developed a tumor on her spinal cord, requiring long-term care.

“At the time, I was making $100,000 a year, and we thought we’re going to have a great, great retirement,” Bliven said, adding that their poor insurance coverage forced them into bankruptcy.

As an advocate for people in long-term care, Bliven said he comes across people struggling to survive — like a senior citizen who used super glue to repair dentures.

“Too many people that are one accident or one diagnosis away from being on the street,” Bliven said. “We are so close to the edge it’s scary.”

His wife, Susan, urged people to remember those who try to navigate the system on their own, lacking family members or advocates.

Local officials weigh in

State Sen. James Manning Jr. and Rep. Nancy Nathanson, both Eugene Democrats, spoke at the event. 

Manning said Oregon’s work on a plan for a potential single-payer healthcare system has been continuing for eight years. The model, he said, would be the equivalent of the federal “Affordable Care Act on steroids.”

With individuals getting coverage through a single-payer system, businesses would save costs on premiums, he said, adding that Oregon needs Wyden’s leadership on the national stage.

Nathanson said the rise of for-profit and large companies entering the healthcare industry has led to a lack of access to pharmacies and primary care doctors.

Small communities have been hard hit, as rural pharmacies have closed amid high costs.

“We cannot fill the holes and we cannot make the solutions permanent,” Nathanson said, adding that national support is needed, not just Oregon acting on its own.

Eve Gray, director of Lane County’s Department of Health and Human Services, said the county’s clinics that serve people often see patients struggle. At times, a patient is referred for specialty care but denied for that care because they are not in the insurer’s network and the clinics are unable to find an in-network provider. 

That situation leaves the patient “functionally uninsured” even when they technically are enrolled in an insurance plan, she said.

“We must do everything possible to protect people from the predatory practices of low-cost insurance plans,” Gray said. “Really, what all of this boils down to is that patients deserve to get their money’s worth.”

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.