In Oregon, Trump’s Base Would Suffer Most From Medicaid Cuts

A reduction in federal funds would hammer Oregonians, particularly in rural Oregon.

SENT FROM ABOVE: A freeze of Medicaid payments would disproportionately impact Wasco County. (Brian Burk)
By Nigel Jaquiss

On Jan. 28, officials in Oregon and across the country reacted with alarm after being shut out of the reimbursement system for Medicaid, the federal and state health care program for low-income Americans. (The federal government contributes about 70%; states pay the other 30%.)

Sen. Ron Wyden on X

Gov. Tina Kotek and Attorney General Dan Rayfield said at a joint press conference early Tuesday afternoon that they were exploring all options to preserve Medicaid and other federal payments threatened by President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

“These are Oregonians’ federal tax dollars up in the air, and the message to Washington, D.C., today is that they need to fix this now,” Kotek said.

Rayfield joined other Democratic attorneys general in suing the president in federal court in Rhode Island to block the cutoff of federal funds. On Wednesday, the judge issued a temporary restraining order, halting the cutoff for now.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration said Jan. 29 it would rescind its order freezing federal payments.

But the matter is far from settled. Trump and congressional Republicans have been clear about their interest in cutting federal spending. Health and human services constitute the largest share of the budget, so Medicaid programs are vulnerable.

Oregon established itself long ago as one of the states most aggressive in seeking Medicaid benefits for its residents. Today, state figures show 33.5% of Oregonians are on the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program.

But within the state, the numbers vary widely by county, from a high of 51.1% in Malheur County to a low of 22.2% in Benton County.

One reason Trump might be cautious about cutting too heavily into Medicaid: In Oregon, at least, rates of Medicaid enrollment are highest in Trump strongholds.

Here are the counties with the 10 highest rates of Medicaid enrollment, along with the share of votes that went for Trump in November (Kamala Harris defeated him 55% to 41% in Oregon). Just two of the top 10 Medicaid counties voted for Harris, so it’s not just Democrats like Wyden, Kotek and Rayfield who have an interest in the issue.

Medicaid enrollment by county (highest).

This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit investigative newsroom for the state of Oregon. OJP seeks to inform, engage, and empower Oregonians with investigative and watchdog reporting that makes a significant impact at the state and local levels. Its stories appear in partner newspapers across the state. Learn more at oregonjournalismproject.org.

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