Chris Gray

Sen. Kruse Quits the Senate in Sexual Harassment Scandal

Finally bowing to months of public pressure, the longtime health policy leader resigned his state Senate seat, effective March 15, after four female lawmakers, along with female lobbyists and staff members, accused him of unwanted touching.

Feb 9, 2018

Nurses Association Supports Drive to Amend Constitution

Red-shirted citizen activists of Health Care for All Oregon packed the hearing room in a special evening meeting of the House Health Committee to lend support to Rep. Mitch Greenlick’s ballot push to declare healthcare a fundamental right for Oregonians.

Feb 9, 2018

Consumers Unlikely to Notice Federal Insurance Tax Relief

The repeal of the individual mandate is expected to sabotage the market and cause rates to climb higher than any reduction from the repeal of the health insurance provider fee for 2019.

Jan 31, 2018

Kaiser Faces Pressure from State after Public Employee Health Plan Deemed Inefficient

Despite some success in keeping costs down since 2012, the state’s public employee plans are not significantly outperforming nationwide figures, and its legacy Providence plan, which has not adopted coordinated care reforms, was the most efficient plan in eight of Oregon’s 20 largest counties.

Jan 17, 2018

Health Leaders Say Time is Up for FamilyCare After Years Long Feud

In an interview with The Lund Report, Rep. Mitch Greenlick and House Speaker Tina Kotek said they tried to work with the state’s second-largest Medicaid provider as it struggled to live within its rates, but the CCO would not reform. Heatherington, defiant to the end, cried “bull----.”

Jan 10, 2018

Oregon Sets New Obamacare Record, Despite Shorter Enrollment Period

People whose health insurance plan stopped being offered last week will have until March 1 to pick a new one. These are health plans that were sold in 2017 but not 2018.

Jan 3, 2018

Oregon ABLE Program Enrolls More than 1,000 People with Disabilities

Modeled on the popular 529 college savings accounts, the program allows people with disabilities and their families to save money and receive a debit card without losing their benefits.

Dec 27, 2017

Greenlick Wants Oregon to Step into Void on Healthcare Improvement

With the federal government in retreat, a new task force of insurers, healthcare providers and single-payer activists will debate ways Oregon can take the lead toward universal healthcare and a more equitable system of providing quality care to all Oregonians, regardless of income or employment status.

Dec 20, 2017

PEBB Shows Slight Surplus for 2017, Keeping Costs Below Inflation Cap

Actuaries reported a $5.2 million surplus in the Oregon public employees self-insured health plan for 2017, as it stayed below budget and under the 3.4 percent inflation cap imposed by the Legislature.

Dec 20, 2017

Oregon Borrows from Medicaid as Congress Fiddles on Children’s Health

Rep. Greg Walden said Tuesday that he will insist that CHIP funding is attached to the continuing resolution that will keep the entire government opened after Dec. 22.

Dec 13, 2017