Oregon House Passes Bill Requiring Large Employers to Reveal How Many Full-Time Workers Rely on Medicaid

The Oregon House of Representatives advanced House Bill 4147 on Monday, legislation similar to laws in other states that identify large employers that pay wages so low that full-time workers and their families cannot qualify for publicly funded health coverage through Medicaid, the Oregon Health Plan.

Oregon House Lawmakers Pass Bill To Force Employers To Reveal Number Of Workers On Medicaid

The proposed Oregon Employer Medicaid Transparency Act will force the state to publish an annual report identifying employers with 500 or more workers and industries in which employees disproportionately rely on Medicaid.

This would make publicly available data on how public health dollars are being spent, although the report would not include names or personally identifiable details of workers or family members.

Currently, lawmakers can’t access employer-level Medicaid utilization data. The bill seeks to close that gap while maintaining strict privacy protections.

Some members of the business community warned that the bill could further burden employers already facing competitive challenges and said it doesn’t address broader concerns about Oregon’s economic climate.

Oregon has a tough business environment. The state fell 11 spots in the 2025 CNBC America’s Top States for Business ranking, ranking 39th overall. In business friendliness, Oregon placed 47^th. The annual Chief Executive magazine survey of CEOs on the best and worst states for business ranked Oregon 44th.

After passing in the House, HB 4147 now heads to the Oregon State Senate.

Other States Publish Data On Businesses With Workers On Medicaid

Several other states already publish employer lists similar to those Oregon is trying to create with HB 4147.

Reports indicate that in 2023, nearly two-thirds of adults ages 19-64 covered by Medicaid were working. Among Medicaid adults who work, nearly 7 in 10 (69%) work full-time (at least 35 hours per week).

Nevada’s annual report shows Amazon and Walmart as the top employers with workers on Medicaid. It puts the cost in the hundreds of millions. Despite being headquartered in Seattle, Amazon has a massive presence in Nevada, with over 11 sites, including fulfillment and delivery centers that employ more than 10,500 people. Approximately 7,500 Amazon employees were eligible for Nevada Medicaid in the state fiscal year 2023.

Nevada already published employer linked Medicaid totals / here is what its annual report shows by fiscal year:

The cost of their coverage was $59 million. In total, Nevada Medicaid covered nearly 178,000 employees at companies with 50 or more employees at a total cost of $1.45 billion, with a state share of $263 million.