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Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps; 12-member jury sworn in for Trump's historic criminal trial; the importance of healthcare decision planning; and a debt dilemma: poll shows how many people wrestle with college costs.

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Civil rights activists say a court ruling could end the right to protest in three southern states, a federal judge lets January 6th lawsuits proceed against former President Trump, and police arrest dozens at a Columbia University Gaza protest.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

Report: Health Insurance No Guarantee of Affordable Care in OR

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Wednesday, December 26, 2007   

Portland, OR – The health care cost crisis isn't only for the uninsured. According to a new report from Families USA, having health insurance is no guarantee that health care will be affordable. The study shows more than 850,000 Oregonians are in families that will spend more than ten percent of their income on medical costs in the coming year, and 85 percent of them have health insurance.

Maribeth Healey with the advocacy group Oregonians for Health Security says it's a problem that impacts just about everyone.

"It used to be that the discussion was just about the uninsured and low-income folks, and this really shows that the health care crisis is affecting working families and businesses."

Healey points out that, to be considered "affordable," a family should spend no more than four percent of its income on health care. She says many are simply no longer able to do that.

"As the escalating costs of health care affects employers more and more, they are not only cutting dependent coverage, but shifting more of the cost of both premiums and out-of-pocket costs directly to workers. That's where Oregon families are really struggling."

Healey adds about 207,000 Oregonians with insurance will spend more than 25 percent of their income on health care in the comng year. To solve the problem, she says everyone should have access to affordable, quality health care.

The full report is available online, at www.familiesusa.org.




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