Is this a new low point?
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http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080304/NEWS07/80304016PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon is conducting a one-of-a-kind lottery, and
the prize is health insurance.The state will start drawing names this week for the chance to enroll in a health care program designed for people not poor enough for Medicaid but too cash-strapped to buy their own insurance.
More than 80,000 people have signed up since registration for the lottery opened in January. Only a few thousand will be chosen for the program.
"It's better than nothing, it's at least a hope," said Shirley Krueger, 61, who signed up the first day.
It's been more than six months since she could afford to take insulin regularly for her diabetes. That puts her at higher risk for a number of complications, such as kidney failure, heart disease and blindness.
Her part-time job leaves her ineligible for her employer's insurance plan and with too little income to buy her own.
"I'm worried about it. I know it's a death sentence," Krueger said.
