Amelia Templeton

Shereef Elnahal, a former Biden administration official, takes over as president of Oregon Health & Science University on Aug. 11. | COURTESY OF OHSU

OHSU’s new president Shereef Elnahal on building trust and potential funding cuts

The former Biden administration official takes the helm of the troubled health care giant as it braces for serious financial challenges ahead

Jul 1

A sign for Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital, Jan. 10, 2025. | ANNA LUECK FOR OPB

Oregon hospitals’ bleak financials leaves them vulnerable to tariffs, proposed Medicaid cuts

A new report from the Hospital Association of Oregon shows half of all hospitals in the state are in the red again, raising the stakes if the U.S. Congress makes cuts to federal benefit programs.

May 1

An American Medical Response ambulance, at the emergency department at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Jan. 11, 2024. | KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF / OPB

AMR taps paramedics abroad to work in Multnomah County

The company plans to secure visas for paramedics from Australia to fill gaps in the workforce

Apr 24

A nameplate outside of Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Northwest Portland on July 28, 2023. | CADEN PERRY/OPB

Advisory group recommends the state block OHSU’s plan to acquire Legacy Health

The community review board said the deal would reduce competition and could increase costs for Oregonians

Apr 17

a white woman's hands clutch a pillow in a hospital bed

ALEXANDER GREY / PIXABAY

Over 80% of Oregonians kept full Medicaid benefits after pandemic protections expired, state says

More people in Oregon retained benefits under the Oregon Health Plan did their counterparts in most other states after the pandemic, which officials attribute to extra care taken when resuming eligibility checks that had been paused

Apr 10

This Oct. 10, 2024 screenshot from Oregon Eligibility System (ONE), an online portal used to by Oregonians to apply for Medicaid and food stamps. | KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

Oregon’s legislature passes Medicaid tax extension in bipartisan vote

Hospital and insurer taxes, and the federal matching dollars they qualify for, are one of the cornerstones of funding the state’s Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan.

Mar 18

The Oregon House of Representatives convenes on inauguration day at the Capitol in Salem, Ore., Jan. 9, 2023. On Feb. 27, 2025, the House passes a bill to raise billions of federal dollars for Oregon's Medicaid program by a margin of 40-15, with six Republicans voting to approve. | KRISTYNA WENTZ-GRAFF/OPB

6 Republicans join Democrats, pass Medicaid funding bill in the Oregon House

Without legislative action both taxes will sunset in the next two years, leaving a $1.1 billion hole in the state’s budget

Mar 1

SHUTTERSTOCK

Oregon’s flu season one of the worst in the past decade

Oregon is experiencing a significant second peak of flu illness and hospitalizations this month. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared this flu season a high severity for all age groups for the first time since 2017-2018.

Feb 25