Oregon Public Broadcasting

An estimated 422,000 Oregonians without health insurance would gain coverage under the health care overhaul pending in the U.S. Senate.

Northwest members of Congress have not received the same kind of criticism for political payoffs as the holdout Senators from the Midwest and East.

That's not to say, the big health care package lacks goodies specific to the Northwest.  Tom Banse reports.

For example, buried deep in the Senate's health care bill is a provision that could rescue Washington State's Basic Health Plan. 

The clause opens the door for the federal government to foot the bill for the now state-subsidized insurance plan for the working poor. 

Separately, Northwest doctors and hospitals stand to benefit from proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement formulas. 

AARP's advocacy director in Seattle, Ingrid McDonald says the current formula pays less to providers in the Northwest than elsewhere.

Ingrid McDonald: "Ironically, Washington is being penalized for our efficiency.  As part of the reimbursement formula, because we're more efficient in our Medicare expenditures, we have driven down the overall reimbursement rate."

The health reform advocacy group Families USA estimates more than a million uninsured people in Oregon, Washington and Idaho will gain coverage over the next decade under the Senate measure.

Northwest Republicans remain unwavering in their opposition to what they see as a costly disaster.