Policy Perspectives is a series created by the Welfare Study Research Team Center for the Study of Women and Society intended for state policy makers about the effects of Welfare Reform in Oregon.

This Policy Perspective Summary Sheet presents data from “Oregon Families Who Left Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps: A Study of Economic and Family Well-Being, 1998-2000 with an emphasis on the Oregon Health Plan, concluding with the following recommendations:

• Allocate matching funds for the national Children’s Health Insurance Program so that more uninsured Oregon children will have access to health care.
• Increase outreach and information about the Oregon Health Plan.
• Raise the income eligibility limits so that more poor families can qualify for the Oregon Health Plan.
• Lower co-payments so that more families can use the Oregon Health Plan.
• Allocate matching funds to more fully fund health safety-net service.