oregon legislature 2013

Greenlick and Monnes Anderson Differ Over Health Insurance Rate Review Changes

The House Health Committee Chairman wants to give DCBS new powers in the annual health insurance rate review approval, while the Senate Health Committee Chairwoman continues to support Regence’s efforts to limit notice of rate hikes.
May 17, 2013 — Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, is moving to bolster Oregon’s rate review process, even as Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, continues to support a Regence BlueCross BlueShield provision that removed requirements from Senate Bill 413 that insurers notify consumers when they request steep rate increases from the state's Insurance Division. Read More >>

Single-Payer Activists Keep Dream of Universal Healthcare Alive

A separate measure, giving state sponsorship of a comprehensive study on universal healthcare financing, makes its way through the Committee on Ways & Means.
May 15, 2013 — Wes Brain was uninsured last winter when a tonsillectomy showed signs of throat cancer. He qualified for the high-risk Oregon Medical Insurance Pool, which the state has administered through Regence BlueCross BlueShield. Read More >>

House Passes Assessments for Hospitals and Nursing Facilities

Many hospitals will receive much more than they pay in after the state dollars are used to leverage federal money, helping to implement both the Affordable Care Act and the CCO transformation.
May 15, 2013 — The House passed assessment taxes on hospitals and long-term care facilities by a wide 54-5 margin Tuesday, ensuring Oregon’s health and human service budgets will raise over a billion dollars from providers in coming years and leverage $1.4 billion from the federal government next biennium for Medicaid. Read More >>

FamilyCare Executive Forges Bad Actor Compromise Over Salem Health Lawsuit

Rep. Brian Clem said Jeff Heatherington’s proposal to scale back the punitive repercussions of a CCO dispute makes it more likely the Legislature will be able to move the bill along.
May 14, 2013 — The chief executive officer of the Family Care coordinated care organization has stepped into the growing turmoil over healthcare delivery in the Salem area with a compromise to the so-called “Bad Actor Bill,” which was drafted to put pressure on Salem Health to end its lawsuit against Willamette Valley Community Health. Read More >>

Repeal of Insurers’ Unlawful Trade Practices Act Exemption Moves into Senate

An economic analyst from Washington tells the Senate Consumer Protection Committee that insurance premiums fell after the state strengthened the private right of action against insurers, countering a national trend of rising premiums.
May 13, 2013 — The bill to repeal the insurance industry’s one-of-a-kind exception to Oregon’s chief fraud law has moved to the Senate Consumer Protection Committee, where it faces a less certain outcome than in the House. Read More >>

Greenlick, CCOs, Agree to Minimum Standard of Public Oversight

An amendment to Senate Bill 725 severely scales back previous attempts to force the CCOs to operate in public, makes no demands that CCOs aren’t currently abiding, and only requires public participation twice a year.
May 10, 2013 — In yet another attempt to provide some transparency to the governance of coordinated care organizations, Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, has forged and accepted an agreement that will ensure a minimal level of public involvement. Read More >>

Conference Committee Wants Under-18 Ban for Tanning Beds

The move should clear the way for Oregon to be the third state to ban tanning for minors, and comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration proposes warning labels for the carcinogenic devices.
  May 8, 2013 -- A day after the Food and Drug Administration proposed new warning labels about the risk of cancer from tanning beds, the Oregon Legislature moved closer to banning commercial tanning salons from serving customers younger than 18.
 
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Salem Reps File ‘Bad Actor Bill’ to Force End to Salem Health Lawsuit

HB 3309 would allow the Oregon Health Authority director to kick off a CCO member and lower its compensation. Rep. Brian Clem said he filed the bill to end a court battle in his district that threatens the entire CCO model.
May 3, 2013 — The Legislature could soon be wading into the ugly dispute between Salem Health and its coordinated care organization, Williamette Valley Community Health. Read More >>

Senate Gives Rural Health Care Access a Shot in the Arm

SB 440B substantially increases loan repayment program to bolster Oregon’s health care workforce
April 25, 2013 —The Oregon Senate voted today to address the shortage of primary care providers by expanding the state’s loan repayment program for health care providers. SB 440B, which passed on a unanimous vote with two excused, will help to fill the demand for preventative health care services in Oregon’s rural communities. Read More >>

Oregon Senate Votes to Give Nurse Anesthetists Prescriptive Powers

Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, an osteopathic physician, opposed the bill, telling The Lund Report he saw no need for these specialized nurses to have prescriptive powers, echoing the position of the Oregon Medical Association.
April 25, 2013 — The Senate passed Senate Bill 136 on a 26-3 vote, which will allow certified registered nurse anesthetists to write prescriptions for up to 10 days. Read More >>
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