The Lund Report

The Oregon Legislature just put aside a bill designed to create a new category of professional in the dental industry.  Supporters said it would widen access to dental treatment, and they hope to bring it back.  But the bill, which would license dental hygienists, is ill-conceived.

A year ago, state legislators approved $30 million to improve a program run by the Oregon Department of Human Services for the developmentally disabled. But on Wednesday, DHS officials were back before the Legislature, asking for more money.

An Oregon committee assigned to setting a statewide cap on the rise in health care spending has agreed to a number: 3.4%.

Speaker Tina Kotek has added $20 million to her proposal to help Oregon cities deal with rising homelessness.

The decision came out of the blue. “Your husband isn’t going to get any better, so we can’t continue services,” an occupational therapist told Deloise “Del” Holloway in early November. “Medicare isn’t going to pay for it.”

Oregon lawmakers are considering a bill focused on wages, benefits and working conditions in the long-term care industry, which has a high turnover rate. 

A first-of-its-kind clinic just opened on the north Oregon Coast to provide opioid addiction treatment in an area that’s been hard hit by opioid-related deaths.

Oregon lawmakers are looking for ways to keep insulin prices in check for patients who need the drug to stay alive.

House Speaker Tina Kotek wants an emergency declaration recognizing the state’s homelessness crisis, with the state spending $120 million on affordable housing and shelter needs.