Fix the Oregon Provider Shortage!

🛑 The Problem: Insured, But Stranded

Even though 97% of Oregonians are insured, they are having trouble accessing primary care.

📊 The Data Behind the Bureaucracy

• The single greatest driver of "pajama time" is the commercial insurance requirement for prior authorization—forcing doctors to beg for approval before providing routine, essential medical care.
  • 16 Hours a Week: The average time a physician spends every single week completing 43 prior authorizations, fighting appeals, and chasing insurance companies.
  • Anemic Reforms Have Failed: Oregon has tried to tweak this broken system before, but the results have been toothless.
  • 90% of Claims Approved: Over 80% of all prior authorizations in Oregon are approved—and for primary care, that number climbs past 90%. This is an enormous administrative waste of time and money for both clinics and insurers.
• The Big Question: What if your doctor could spend those 13 hours treating patients instead of filling out forms?

⚠️ The Dangerous Cost of Delay

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• This isn't just a paperwork problem; it is a patient safety crisis. Insurance staff who lack clinical expertise are routinely overriding the professional judgments of trained physicians. The American Medical Association (AMA) reports that:
  • 93% of physicians state that prior authorizations cause dangerous delays in patient care.
  • 82% of doctors have seen patients entirely abandon their recommended medical treatment due to insurance barriers.
  • 1 in 4 physicians report that prior authorization delays have led to a serious adverse event, disease progression, or death for a patient in their care.

   

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• 💡 The Solution: Common Sense Reform

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• After a year of intensive research and discussions with legislators, medical associations, and practitioners, MACG is proposing a bold, common-sense solution: Eliminate prior authorization requirements for essential primary care. By removing this administrative bottleneck, we can instantly maximize the capacity of our existing workforce—allowing doctors to step away from their computers and see more patients immediately, without adding a single dollar to the state budget.

   

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• 🗺️ There is Precedent: The Massachusetts Model

  We know this works because it is already happening. On June 5, 2026, the state of Massachusetts successfully implemented historic regulations eliminating prior authorizations for a comprehensive list of routine primary care and chronic disease services.
  While Massachusetts achieved this through executive action, Oregon's path requires legislative action. To make this a reality here, the Oregon Legislature must pass changes to the state insurance code during the 2027 session, empowering the Oregon Insurance Commissioner to permanently lift these burdens from our doctors.
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• 🛠️ Next Steps: Join the 2027 Legislative Campaign!

  Our alliance is part of a statewide coalition that has launched a campaign to bring this exact bill to the Oregon Legislature during the 2027 session. We need people power to defeat insurance company lobbyists.
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• 👉 Take Action with MACG: Join our Healthcare Access Team, attend our next planning session, or share your own healthcare story.

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  ❓ Frequently Asked Questions

  • What exactly counts as "Primary Care"?
    Primary care includes family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, gerontology, and OBGYN providers. These are the clinicians who manage your long-term wellness, handle routine illnesses, and coordinate your care with specialists.
  • How much would this change actually help doctors see more patients?
    The average face-to-face primary care visit in the U.S. lasts about 18 minutes, meaning a doctor can see around 25 patients in a normal 7.5-hour clinical day. By eliminating the 16 hours a week spent on insurance paperwork, we give doctors the time back to treat dozens of additional patients every week.