Eds: RESTOREs dropped word 'a' in lede

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced Tuesday that he's working on a plan to ensure that more Oregon children have health coverage.

Speaking before health care industry leaders in Portland, Kulongoski offered few specifics of his “Healthy Kids Plan.” The Democrat said the details would come in his state-of-the-state speech in February.

“It will provide an opportunity for families to obtain affordable, state-subsidized group coverage for their kids, an opportunity that will be available to low-income parents whose incomes are too high to qualify for federal programs,” he said at the Oregon Health Forum's annual awards dinner.

Kulongoski's comments came less than a week after former Gov. John Kitzhaber decided against challenging the incumbent in the Democratic primary.

Kitzhaber, a former emergency room doctor who helped create the Oregon Health Plan, considered a political comeback partly because of his frustration over health care in Oregon and the nation. More than 75,000 low-income people have been dropped from the Oregon Health Plan since Kulongoski's election in 2002.

On Tuesday, Kulongoski called for restoring full funding of tobacco-use prevention dollars that were approved by Oregon voters but cut by the Legislature, and reiterated his proposal to expand the Oregon Prescription Drug Program.

The governor also suggested reworking the Oregon Health Plan to help more adults suffering from chronic conditions.

Kulongoski said the health care issue has become so serious that it affects people across all segments of society.

“This is no longer just a cause for the very poor,” he said. “It's a cause for all people in all walks of life.”

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com