Oregon voters pass initiative to make access to affordable health care a constitutional right

Story at a glance

A new WalletHub survey looked at the 182 largest cities in the U.S. to see which places are the happiest.

The survey found that Fremont, Calif., just outside of San Fransisco, is the happiest city in the U.S.

While different things make different people happy, the survey linked Fremont residents’ annual income, low divorce rate and low depression rates as contributing factors to the city’s happiness level.

Oregon voters have narrowly passed a state constitutional amendment enshrining affordable health care as a right.

The Associated Press projected the amendment, known as Measure 111, will pass after it remained too close to call for days, with 50.6 percent supporting the measure and 49.4 percent opposing it.

The amendment reads: “It is the obligation of the state to ensure that every resident of Oregon has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care as a fundamental right.”

It remains unclear how courts would interpret “cost-effective” and “affordable.”

But a separate subsection included in the amendment lays out that the state’s obligation must be “balanced” against public school funding and other essential public services.

The measure was sent to voters after Democrats in the state legislature approved such a move last year. Tina Kotek, the then-speaker of the Oregon House, signed the measure.

Kotek last week was elected Oregon’s governor, keeping the longtime blue seat in Democratic hands after facing a competitive race.

She defeated Republican Christine Drazan and Democrat-turned-Independent candidate Betsy Johnson, whose polling showed was potentially siphoning support from Kotek.

“We’re grateful to the diverse coalition and talented volunteers who powered this win,” Oregon Right to Healthcare, a group supporting the measure’s passage, wrote in a message to supporters on its website.

“Although Measure 111 passed, there is more work to do to ensure that everyone can get the healthcare they need,” the statement continued.