Final answer:
The Oregon Health Plan was shaped by legislative acts related to the Affordable Care Act, including Medicaid expansion, creation of health care exchanges, and an employer mandate. These facilitated broader health coverage and access to affordable insurance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Oregon Health Plan was shaped through a series of legislative acts, particularly within the context of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often referred to as Obamacare, which aimed to overhaul the American healthcare system to expand coverage and make health insurance more affordable. One of the significant legislative milestones for expanding health coverage was the expansion of Medicaid, which incentivized states to broaden eligibility to include more low and moderate-income citizens.
Additionally, under the ACA, state-wide health care exchanges were created to provide insurance to those who were ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid and did not have employer-provided insurance. This was designed to create large risk pools to fund medical expenses. Furthermore, the ACA required an employer mandate that necessitated certain employers to offer health insurance to their employees, and if they did not, they would face penalties.