Jewish tradition inspires doctors to launch drive to insure school children
By Jewish Review
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Drs. Gregg and Marcia Coodley, founders and partners at Fanno Creek Clinic, have filed an initiative with the city of Portland to provide health insurance for all uninsured children attending Portland Public Schools.
The couple describe the initiative as a grassroots campaign to secure healthcare for all uninsured children without raising new taxes.
“Basically this comes from the idea that if you save one person you save the entire world,” said Gregg Coodley, noting he and his wife are members of Congregation Beth Israel and the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. “I think one of our roles on the planet is to try and make things better.”
“I have four children who have coverage, but we want to think about all the children who don’t,” he said.
Coodley said he plans to discuss the initiative with the social action committee at CBI and Neveh Shalom Rabbi Emeritus Joshua Stampfer has said he will talk to various congregations about the plan.
The plan provides basic health insurance for all currently uninsured children attending public schools in Portland. Coverage will be provided by private insurers through competitive bidding. The initiative will go to the voters in November. If approved, the program will start Feb. 1, 2009.
No new taxes are needed for this program. The initial startup cost for the first two years, estimated at $4.05 million annually, will be paid by the city of Portland from its expected $33 million plus surplus.
After the first two years, the Portland school districts would provide 66 percent of the funding for each child, estimated to be less than $500 per child each year. Since school districts receive extra funding from the state of $6,500-7,000 a year for each new child enrolled, attracting additional children to the Portland schools would pay for the health insurance costs, thus making the program partially self funding, according to Coodley.
The campaign is looking for financial contributions as well as volunteers to help gather over 27,000 signatures needed by the start of July to get the initiative on the ballot. Anyone interested in helping should call the WhyNotPortland campaign at the Fanno Creek Clinic at 503-452-0915.
The complete initiative including details on how to become involved in gathering signatures and/or financial contributions can be found on the www.whynotportland.org Web site.
