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Oregon Health Authority’s coronavirus report for Monday, Aug. 24

Oregon reports 220 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths

PORTLAND — COVID-19 has claimed three more lives in Oregon, raising the state’s death toll to 420, the Oregon Health Authority reported at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Oregon Health Authority reported 220 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 as of 12:01 a.m. Monday bringing the state total to 25,155.

The new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases reported today are in the following counties: Clackamas (22), Columbia (1), Coos (1), Deschutes (1), Jackson (23), Jefferson (7), Josephine (1), Klamath (2), Lane (2), Malheur (7), Marion (33), Morrow (2), Multnomah (59), Polk (2), Umatilla (11), Washington (34), and Yamhill (12).

Oregon’s 418th COVID-19 death is an 87-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on Aug. 16 and died on Aug. 22, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 419th COVID-19 death is a 77-year-old man in Washington County who tested positive on Aug. 14 and died on Aug. 18, at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.

Oregon’s 420th COVID-19 death is a 73-year-old woman in Washington County who tested positive on July 29 and died on Aug. 23, in her residence. She had underlying conditions.

Medicaid enrollment increases by more than 100,000 members since March

Last week, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) had an increase of 4,016 members, bringing the total number of members to 1,180,497. Since the March 8 emergency declaration, OHP’s enrollment has increased by more than 100,000 members or 9.3 percent.

About 1 in 4 of the additional members are new enrollments to OHP. The rest of the increase is due to a policy change that keeps the vast majority of members enrolled in the program during this national emergency. Since the end of March, people exiting the program decreased by around 75 percent from 20,000 people a month to about 5,000 a month. Adults eligible for OHP through the Affordable Care Act have made up about 60 percent of the program’s growth, and children covered by Medicaid account for about 25 percent of the growth.

Federal funding has increased to support states’ increases in the program. This 6.2 percent increase in federal Medicaid matching funds has covered and is projected to cover Oregon’s enrollment increases through the end of the year.

The Oregon Health Authority has made several changes to its Medicaid program to support health care access for Oregonians during the response to COVID-19. These changes include:

  • Individuals can sign up for OHP without having to verify their income (submit a pay stub) with their application. They can self-attest, which helps Oregonians get access to OHP coverage more quickly.
  • Most members who are currently enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan will not lose coverage during this crisis.
  • Federal stimulus payments and increased unemployment payments will not affect OHP eligibility. They will not be counted during the application process or when members report a change in their household.

OHP provides free physical, dental and behavioral health coverage to Oregonians who qualify. For more information about applying for OHP, go to OHP.Oregon.gov.

Stay informed about COVID-19:

Oregon response: The Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Office of Emergency Management lead the state response.

United States response: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leads the U.S. response.

Global response: The World Health Organization guides the global response.