Because the program re-established in 2013 is so focused on serving the Medicaid program, new providers in urban areas that have clinics focused heavily on the Oregon Health Plan are much more likely to receive help than new rural providers. Less than one-third of the recipients are practicing in the state’s hinterlands.
A loan repayment program that was created as part of the federal Medicaid waiver setting up the coordinated care organizations has benefited urban Oregon much more than the rural parts of the state.
As he left office, the governor was lauded by hospital executives, health insurance leaders, physicians and community activists for transforming Oregon’s healthcare system.
Governor John Kitzhaber is being remembered as a bipartisan leader who improved the lives of Oregonians by transforming the state’s healthcare delivery system. To compile this story, The Lund Report reached out to healthcare executives and community activists from across the state.
