Oregon becomes first state to make health care a constitutional right
Salem, Oregon - Oregon voters made history by approving Ballot Measure 111, making the Beaver State the first to guarantee health care as a constitutional right.
Ballot Measure 111 amends the state constitution to ensure the right to "cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care" for every Oregonian.
After several days of counting, the ballot initiative narrowly passed on Tuesday with 50.6% of the vote, according to the New York Times.
The win does not necessarily mean that a single-payer health care system will be implemented in Oregon, but it will give lawmakers more room to expand protections for some of the state's most vulnerable.
Though the state's Medicaid plan, dubbed the Oregon Health Plan, provides insurance to residents below 133% of the poverty level, many Oregonians still struggle to pay the bills when it comes to medical expenses.
The vague language of the ballot measure is intended to allow lawmakers room for interpretation as they propose and enact policy. Oregonians will be able to sue the state if it does not implement changes to make health care sufficiently accessible and affordable.
In addition to passing Ballot Measure 111, Oregonians this cycle also voted to ban slavery as a criminal punishment, expand gun control, and bar state lawmakers from reelection in cases of unexcused absenteeism.
Cover photo: 123RF/akkamulator