Oregon Expands Medicaid To Cover Housing Services

On September 7, 2023, Oregon Health Authority (OHA), in collaboration with Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), announced proposed timelines to begin offering new Medicaid benefits to address housing insecurity. The housing benefit is slated to become available in November 2024; however, this timeline must be approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Through this new benefit, the state Medicaid program and its managed care organizations will pay for up to six months of temporary rent assistance as a medically necessary Medicaid benefit to enrollees at risk of homelessness. The goal is to slow the rate of . . .