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Competition Continues to Shrink While Health Care Prices Continue to Rise

Once Centene Corp. acquires Health Net next year in a billion dollar acquisition early next year, what’s likely to show up on its balance sheet? Centene could have its eyes on yet another coordinated care organization, after purchasing Trillium Community Health Plan in Lane County for $80 million in September, giving them 100,000 Medicaid members. Or, they might reach their tentacles into other markets in Oregon by appealing to self-insured employers and seeking government contracts.

James Raussen, a government consultant specializing in insurance, comes to Oregon after working in the Chicago comptroller’s office and Ohio state government. His Chicago boss, whom he followed from Ohio, is now in prison, and Raussen was linked to a questionable insurance brokerage contract in Chicago that caused Mayor Rahm Emanuel to limit the purchasing power of the city comptroller.

With as many as 31 percent of Multnomah County retail outlets willing to sell to underage teenagers, and the Oregon Legislature unable to pass a state licensing program, tobacco and e-cigarette sales will now fall under a strict county jurisdiction. Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson hopes to take the Multnomah County law statewide with new legislation.

When the Oregon Health Authority made transformation money available to coordinated care organizations (CCOs) across the state, Jennifer Johnstun, director of clinical programs for PrimaryHealth of Josephine County used the funding to co-locate behavioral health and substance abuse in the only OBGYN clinic the county.

“Look at the data on disease by race, ethnicity, rural and isolated communities, sexual identity, disability status,” Ignatius Bau, health care policy consultant, urged the audience at Oregon Health Authority’s 2015 Coordinated Care Model Summit. Note the stunning health disparities for vulnerable populations.

FamilyCare is looking for a chart abstractor and medical reviewer, while Samaritan Health is on the lookout for an NCQA accreditation director.

Advantage Dental has teamed up with University of Washington to transform the delivery of dental care in January.