By Ed Coghlan.

Two Oregon women—who both have chronic pain and have been creating a groundswell of opposition to their state’s attempt to force taper opioid usage in the state’s Medicaid population—are mobilizing Oregon’s chronic pain community for this week’s hearing.

The state’s Health Evidence Review Commission—which reports to the Oregon Health Authority—will hold its hearing at the Wilsonville Training Center, Rooms 111-112, 29353 SW Town Center Loop E Wilsonville, Oregon 97070.

Their message: We need the chronic pain community to show up and protest.

The two women – who do not wish their names to be released for fear of recrimination against their doctors (but have been in constant communication with the National Pain Report) – the two chronic pain advocates will be arriving at 7:30am, and believe that a robust turnout by the Oregon chronic pain community, doctors who treat them and some national pain patient advocacy leaders may help Commission members actually hear—as they say—“from the people whose lives they are voting on.”

There is very limited seating inside but they are working on providing a video live stream so that all of us will be able to see and hear what’s going on.

“We have arranged for some brilliant Doctors to come and speak on our behalf. We ask that you allow the doctors journalists and reporters to the fill small numbers of seats. Again, we will be trying to live stream the meeting so that you won’t miss anything,” they said.

Once the initial part of the hearing is over, advocates will be going to a nearby park to have a picnic, relax and talk with reporter about how these changes would impact them.

“We will then head back to the meeting around 1:00pm and be ready to hold our signs for HERC members to see us as they walk into their meeting at 1:30. It is important to show the HERC members who we are,” they said.

In talking with the leaders, they believe that Thursday is the moment that matters not only for Oregon’s Medicaid population for the all of the chronic pain patients in the Beaver State, because they and other national leaders believe whatever happens to the Medicaid population will be mimicked by other insurers.

The public comment period has ended, but if you’d like to send a comment to Oregon leaders, please share your thoughts in our comment section.

Follow on Twitter:

@NatPainReport

@edcoghlan

Subscribe to our blog via email