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PORTLAND, Ore. — CareOregon today submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) to ensure the continuous provision of Medicaid health care services to Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members in the Portland Metropolitan Area.

CareOregon has been serving the OHP population for 25 years by working with the Oregon Health Authority to tailor health care delivery to the needs of local communities and members. A founding member of Health Share of Oregon, CareOregon manages physical health benefits for 200,000 of Health Share’s 300,000 members, and dental health benefits for 70,000. Additionally, it manages OHP benefits for 30,000 members in Jackson County through ownership of Jackson Care Connect, and 25,000 members in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties through Columbia Pacific CCO.

CareOregon, along with other partners that make up of Health Share of Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, are submitting LOIs separate from Health Share as a precautionary measure to ensure continuous delivery of OHP services.

Statewide, applicants were required by February 1 to file a Letter of Intent to apply for the next round of CCO contracts, for five-year terms that commence January 1, 2020. Health Share, an umbrella organization composed of CareOregon, Adventist Health, Central City Concern, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, Tuality Healthcare, Providence Health & Services, OHSU and Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties, announced its Letter of Intent earlier this week.

“We are proud of what the organizations that make up Health Share of Oregon have accomplished,” said Eric C. Hunter, CareOregon President and CEO. “We look forward to continuing our work with the OHP population here in the metro area.

“We believe that the best way to ensure continued and coordinated access to the services provided by the Oregon Health Plan would be to continue contracting with the CCO that currently serves members in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.

“CareOregon remains committed to advancing efforts that coordinate the integration of physical, mental and oral health while making upstream investments in the community to address the social determinants of health and health equity,” Hunter said. “We look forward to working with the Oregon Health Authority to continue this mission for the next 25 years and beyond.”

UPDATE, February 19, 2019

Health Share of Oregon moves forward with single CCO application in tri-county area
Member organizations withdrew Letters of Intent to apply