Danielle Alexander | 10-21-2020

Keeping our families healthy is a top priority — more so now than ever before. With so many of us struggling to get by during this pandemic, thousands are counting on supports like the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), our state’s Medicaid system. Currently, 1 in 4 Oregonians (over 1 million people) count on OHP to keep them healthy, and that number has been steadily climbing as we face unprecedented job loss across the state.

Funding OHP is a matter of life or death for many women and caregivers. OHP is a critical source of health coverage for self-identifying women, with about 1 in 5 women of reproductive age counting on OHP for their health care, and women accounting for approximately 62% of Medicaid enrollees. Women, mothers, and caregivers are count on OHP for everything from annual check-ups to mental health care to cancer screenings.

The last thing mothers and caregivers need right now is to lose access to quality, reliable health care. That’s why Family Forward Action, and our nonprofit sister organization, Family Forward Oregon, are proud to support your YES on Measure 108.

Measure 108 protects the Oregon Health Plan by establishing the first vape tax in Oregon and bringing our commercial tobacco taxes in line with neighboring West Coast states. In addition to funding health care, Measure 108 triples funding to prevention programs and programs that help people quit, because it’s time to break the vaping-to-smoking pipeline exploiting our youth. 

It’s not news to us as mothers and caregivers that our kids are facing a vaping epidemic.  One in four high schoolers in Oregon report vaping, and teens who vape are 3x more likely to start smoking. Meanwhile, smoking is the #1 cause of preventable death in Oregon. We must pass Measure 108 to reduce vaping and save lives.

We need your help to ensure Measure 108 passes this November. The campaign is dedicated to reaching out to all Oregonians about its efforts. Can we count on you to help? Here are a few ways to get involved: