Senate Bill 20 (2025)

The Problem

Employed Oregonians with disabilities face a difficult choice: take a pay raise or promotion and risk losing Medicaid’s essential healthcare and long-term support. Current Medicaid income and asset limits restrict our ability to advance while maintaining health and financial security, creating disparities and systemic barriers. We seek legislative change to allow Medicaid coverage for working individuals with disabilities, providing equal career opportunities, stability, independence and dignity

The Solution

In the 2025 Session, we are proposing legislation to allow Oregonians with disabilities to work, keep private insurance, and retain Medicaid for essential healthcare and LTSS (Long-Term Support Services) by adjusting the income limits of the Employed People with Disabilities program. This change would eliminate restrictive financial limits, giving access to necessary supports alongside employment benefits. Other states, like Washington, have adopted similar programs.

The Disability Health & Employment Equity Coalition of Oregon is committed to breaking cycles of poverty and exclusion and promoting health and employment equity for the disability community through this policy change.

Allowing people to go back to work without losing their benefits is a critical policy change that we are currently supporting. Medicaid actually agrees with us. Here is a quote from their website.

“Research has shown that the program is not just good for beneficiaries and employers; it is also good policy for Medicaid. An analysis of expenditures and services used showed Medicaid Buy-In participants incurred lower annual Medicaid costs than other adult disabled Medicaid enrollees. In a University of Kansas study, findings indicated Medicaid Buy-In participants had a better quality of life while Medicaid expenditures were less.”

History of Our Work

During the 2021 Legislature Regular Session, SB584 was proposed by members of the disability community and championed by Senator Sara Gelser Blouin. It was broadly supported and the legislation made it to the Joint Ways & Means Committee but it did not pass. The bill was reintroduced during the 2023 session as SB576, with even stronger support and a more robust advocacy operation from the coalition. However, it once again fell short in the Joint Ways & Means Committee. After some reworking, the bill is being reintroduced for the 2025 session as SB20 and has strong bipartisan support.

Senate Bill 20 Overview

Senate Bill 20 requires the Department of Human Services to administer a program to provide medical assistance to employed individuals with disabilities without regard to the individuals’ income or resources.

Chief Sponsors: Senator Gelser Blouin, Representative Nosse, Senator Broadman

Regular Sponsors: Senators Campos, Meek, Patterson, Thatcher, Weber, Woods

To read the full bill for yourself, follow this link: SB 20 Bill

View Public Testimony for SB20