The Oregon chapter of the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) held its fourth annual convention March 17 at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in Northwest Portland.

The keynote speaker was former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber. An emergency room doctor from Roseburg, Kitzhaber launched the Archimedes Movement, a project to make basic health insurance coverage available to all Oregonians.

The Oregon Better Health Act was introduced in the Legislature earlier this year. Senate Bill 27 would pool monies from Medicare, Medicaid and employer-sponsored insurance plans to provide a “core benefit” of health care benefits for everyone. Kitzhaber told delegates it can be done without raising taxes, although it would require approval of Congress.

Kitzhaber envisioned a health care system similar to that of the public school system, where everyone pays regardless of economic status and “everyone has universal access to a defined level of education.” Parents can always enhance educational opportunities with tutors and by other means — but at their own expense, he said.

When budgets are tight, Kitzhaber said leaders might increase class sizes or take other measures to save money. “But they never argue about eligibility. Never.”

SB 29 has been merged with another health care bill sponsored by Senators Ben Westlund of Bend and Alan Bates of Ashland. The Senate Special Committee on Health Care Reform is working on a draft that combines language from both bills with portions of two other health care plans currently circulating around the state.

Westlund was joined at the ARA meeting by State Rep. Mitch Greenlick. Greenlick discussed House Joint Resolution 18, a referral to voters that seeks to add language to the State Constitution making health care a right for all legal residents of Oregon.

In other business, Congresswoman Darlene Hooley presented an ARA award for service to retirees Bill and Genie Ubelacker. Genie is a retired member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and both are active in the Democratic Party.