March 13, 2008 (LPAC)--Through its Oregon Health Plan, the state of Oregon only has enough money to serve 24,000 out of 130,000 low-income adults who lack private health insurance. There are 600,000 people overall in the state who lack any kind of health insurance.

So, the state has decided to randomly select individuals--as in a lottery--out of the 91,000 low-income adults who have asked to enroll in the plan, which once served 100,000 people before budget cuts slashed the number of enrollees. Names will be drawn in batches of 3,000 each, until a total of 24,000 people have been chosen. Take your chances on life or death!

One official who manages the Community Clinic of Bend told the New York Times that "using a random process to decide who gets healthcare is a sign of profound desperation." The lottery idea emerged from a consensus among state officials and advocacy groups that "small steps can help."

However, if they listen to LaRouche, and adopt the HBPA as the first step toward reconstructing the entire economy, the U.S. can avert this crisis.