Upcoming Events

HCAO will be tabling at the Holiday Market. Stop by for more info about what universal healthcare in Oregon would look like, Lane County’s goals, ways to get involved and more! To join us as a volunteer, please email Charlotte, the Lane County Volunteer Coordinator: Charlottemaloney@hcao.org 

HCAO folks, we are hitting the streets again! 50501 is inviting us to set up a table and engage the community about universal healthcare at their next rally! We will meet at the Battleship Memorial on the Waterfront again to set up for this wonderful opportunity. The actual event starts at noon, but we will arrive an hour early to set up. Multiple shifts available. If you have never canvassed before, this is a great place to get started. The folks attending this event are thrilled to engage with us and usually are sold right away. We try to go in partners when we first start canvassing to help people get their feet wet.  If you have experience canvassing and want to lead one of our shifts, please contact Jackie at: Portlandchapter@hcao.org Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Join us for our November 30th Portland chapter meeting and social. The governance board is well underway writing the universal health plan for all Oregonians. Come get an update of their work. We will also discuss how the Portland Chapter will lead the fight in getting this important work passed through legislation as well. We are also running a fundraiser where we are collecting lightly used clothes and selling them to consignment shops. All proceeds go to HCAO. Please don't give away any clothes you were planning to sell yourself or feel particularly attached to. After the meeting and update portion of the social, we will walk across the street to McMenamins Chapel Pub and enjoy some food and drink. If you have any questions please email: portlandchapter@hcao.org 

The Universal Health Plan Governance Board's Finance and Revenue Committee is meeting on Tuesday, December 2nd at 9am-12pm. This is a virtual meeting that you must register for to get the zoom link: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/_jOBohm5SxCKRmsE7n_6dg#/registration Meeting agenda and materials: Available on the committee's website Accessibility: If you need help, contact staff at least 48 hours before the meeting at uhpgb.info@dcbs.oregon.gov.  How to submit public comment: Oral testimony To provide virtual oral comments at this meeting, submit the public comment form no later than 24 hours before the meeting. (Cut off is Monday 12/1 at 9am) General written testimony To provide written comments to the committee, submit the public comment form, with attachments, no later than 48 hours before the meeting. Written comments will be posted to the board website. (Cut off is Sunday 11/30 at 9am) For questions about submitting testimony please reach out to Claire Culmer: office@hcao.org About the Universal Health Plan Governance Board: Created by Oregon Legislature with the 2023 Senate Bill SB1089 (now codified in ORS Chapter 751), the board is charged with developing a comprehensive plan to finance and administer a universal health plan for Oregon. The meeting calendar, past meeting materials/minutes/video, and more information about the board are available on the board's website. 

Learn about HCAO, universal health care, and what you can do to help win health care for all Oregonians!  This event is perfect for anyone interested in universal health care or volunteering with HCAO.

The Universal Health Plan Governance Board (UHPGB) is designing a universal health care plan for Oregonians right now! Join this workshop to learn how to advocate for the most equitable and comprehensive plan possible by sharing written or oral testimony with the board and its committees.  We have the power to impact the first statewide universal health care plan in the country, but only if we speak up!  Learn more about the UHPGB at hcao.org/uhpgb Questions? email pamcode@hcao.org

Health care in the United States—and right here in Eugene--is facing cascading crises. • Americans spend $14,570 per person on healthcare—more than any other developed nation—yet our health outcomes lag behind. In Oregon, health care costs exceed spending on housing, food, or transportation.• Large insurance conglomerates and private equity investors are buying up medical practices, prioritizing profits over patient care. Physicians in these corporatized settings lose control over their practice, leading to moral injury and burnout.• 10,000 people in Eugene now lack a primary care provider following UnitedHealth’s purchase of Oregon Medical Group.• $1 trillion in federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance will directly impacting 1 in 3 Oregonians and over half the children relying on the Oregon Health Plan.• 1 in 8 Americans carries medical debt exceeding $10,000. In the United States, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, a person can go bankrupt by medical debt. It’s time for a change. If not now, when? Join Dr. Antonio Germann, family physician and vice president of the board for Healthcare for All Oregon; Dr Nicholas Jones, Direct Primary Care physician and founder of Clear Health DPC, and Health Law and Policy Expert, Hayden Rooke- Ley, J.D., in a discussion on health care transformation in Oregon. With the recent passage of SB 951 that addresses the corporatization of medicine, discussion of reform in the Medicaid system, the movement toward a Universal Health Care Plan legislation in Oregon, and the groundswell of interest in the Direct Primary Care healthcare delivery system, Oregon is meeting the currenthealthcare crisis, head on. State Rep. Nancy Nathanson represents House District 13, North Eugene. She has served inthe House of Representatives since 2007, and prior to that the Eugene City Council for 12 years. Rep. Nathanson currently chairs the House Committee on Revenue and as Co-Chair for the Joint Committee on Information Management and Technology. In the 2025 legislative session, Rep. Nathanson sponsored and passed bills to prohibit non-compete agreements for health care providers and rein in corporate practice of medicine, to shore up Pharmacy Benefit Management regulation; and direct state agencies to streamline criminal background checks for health and human services workers to reduce onboarding delays. Rep. Nathanson also helped secure funding for the Lane County Stabilization Center, Northwest Youth Corps, two additional judges for the Lane County Circuit Court, and Clear Lake Road infrastructure for industrial economic development. Guests: Dr. Antonio (Tony) Germann is a family physician centered in rural primary healthcare, clinical health education, and public health. Currently he is medical director of Salud and Pacific pediatrics clinics of the Yakima Valley Farm Workers clinic system. Dr. Germann is the founder of the Salud Rural Maternal Child Health Fellowship which prepares family physicians for practice in a rural/underserved settings through advanced training in obstetrics, surgical obstetrical skills, management of neonatal complications, and gynecologic procedures. Dr. Germann enjoys advancing the development of primary care clinicians and has served as a clinical assistant professor and affiliate faculty at OHSU School of Medicine/Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Germann is a member of the Oregon Health Policy Board since 2023. OHPB is responsible for many of the state’s major health systems including Medicaid, Oregon State Hospital, public health, behavioral health, the Public Employees Benefit Board and Oregon Educators Benefit Board. Dr. Nick Jones is a family physician and founder of Clear Health Direct Primary Care (DPC) in Eugene. Originally from Texas, Dr. Jones moved to Oregon in 2020 to work at Oregon Medical Group (OMG). In 2023, he left OMG to start Clear Health DPC. Dr. Jone’s mission is to harness innovative technology to enhance personalized, affordable, and accessible healthcare through a direct primary care model. His vision is to build a community that has access to the healthcare they need, when they need it. Dr. Jones believes it is important to “teach before we treat, treat patients not problems; with open ears, open minds, and open hearts”. Hayden Rooke-Ley is a Senior Fellow at the Brown University School of Public Health and the American Economic Liberties Project. His research focuses on corporate consolidation in health care, Medicare and Medicaid financing, and labor and workforce issues in the health sector. He has published in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and advises state and federal policymakers, enforcement agencies, and other health care stakeholders. Previously, he served as a health policy advisor in Congress and worked at Aledade. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School, clerked for the U.S. District Court for the District ofOregon, and is a licensed attorney in Oregon. About the City Club of Eugene:The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org. Video and Broadcast:This program will be livestreamed, and will be available on the City Club of Eugene’s YouTube channel.Rebroadcasts and recordings will be available the Monday immediately following the program at 7:00pm, on KLCC 89.7 FM and available later as an episode on City Club’s podcast. Visit cityclubofeugene.org for links and details.Contact: Betsy Pownall, 541-285-1953; betsy327@comcast.net

HCAO Labor Caucus meets 2nd Wednesday of the month to discuss organizing unions and union members for universal healthcare. Join us! Contact Lou at sinniger@efn.org

Join the Rogue Valley Chapter at their monthly meeting! We'll talk tactics for HCAO's 2026!Email Sarah Spansail with questions:etoileshine@gmail.com

Dear volunteers, Please join us for an elegant fundraiser. We have worked with local artists and friends of friends to put together this wonderful art auction. We need our wonderful volunteers to come together to make this night magical for all our guests that attend the fundraiser. You will note that we have multiple different shifts and needs available. Food handlers and OLCC alcohol serving: We plan to have free small foods that we transport around on trays to guests at the event. We will also be selling alcohol at a bar area. For both of these, we need licensed people who can serve. For food you will need a food handlers card and for alcohol you will need an OLCC permit.  General support: We have a multitude of jobs. Just folks who meander and answer questions/support the event. We will also need greeters, people to man an info table and people to sell merch We also need help setting up the event and tearing it down. If you are interested in helping advertise the event prior, please reach out to Jackie at: Portlandchapter@hcao.org Thank you so much for all you do! It is vitally important. We must have the infrastructure we need to win this fight, such as an appropriate amount of staff, an office in every major city, marketing/messaging and so much more. Your help and support on this night will help get us there! This is how we get it done.