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June 2, 2010 --Unwilling to accept defeat, Columbia Health District is once again attempting to convince state officials that there’s a need for a 12-bed hospital in St. Helens. But the process is ripe with contention. Residents who’ve opposed the hospital in the past are likely to raise the same concerns – questioning whether the hospital can sustain itself financially and meet the needs of the community – at a public hearing later this month.

March 19, 2010 – Call it a war between the two most powerful Catholic healthcare systems in the Pacific Northwest. As it turned out, Providence Health System found itself on the losing side. The big prize – Southwest Washington Health Center – went to Bellevue-based PeaceHealth run by President Alan Yordy. Within the next 3-12 months, following a thorough due diligence process, that hospital system will become part of its strategic network. No money will trade hands because both systems are non-profit.

Starting Jan. 1, kids whose families earn between 200-300 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible

Foster children and pregnant women are the first targets

October 27, 2009 -- The public option debated in Congress won’t gain any traction with Oregon’s insurance executives who keep comparing the proposal to traditional Medicare, claiming it’s a broken system in need of serious repair.

May 21, 2009 -- After losing a multi-million dollar contract it’s held for over 20 years, Regence BlueCross BlueShield is fighting back. It’s trying to persuade officials that they made a serious mistake by choosing their competitor, Providence Health Plans, as the statewide PPO for 102,507 public employees and their dependents.