Chris Gray

OSPIRG Pushes Bill to Ban Non-Medical Use of Antibiotics in Farm Animals

The Oregon State Public Interest Research Group thinks Oregon may be fertile ground to step in where federal legislation failed to pass and stop a public health catastrophe as the routine use of antibiotics in livestock reduces the ability for the medicine to fight bacterial infections.

Jan 15, 2015

Robust 2015-2017 Budget Counts on PEBB Savings, but not OEBB

Budget Chairmen Rep. Peter Buckley and Sen. Richard Devlin said they are ready to count on savings from the Public Employees Benefit Board, but not the Oregon Educators Benefit Board, which has not yet revamped its contract. Those savings are far from guaranteed.

Jan 15, 2015

Heavy Excise Tax Looms for OEBB and School Districts Without Changes

If school districts and OEBB keep the status quo, the Affordable Care Act will hit them with taxes of $11 million in 2018 and nearly $16 million in 2020. But if districts restructure the premiums paid by individuals and families, and if OEBB sees savings from a coordinated care approach in its new contract, that tax could be limited to $600,000 to $700,000 a year.

Jan 8, 2015

Civic Group Tackles Homelessness and Health in New Report

The Portland City Club has issued a report on healthcare and homelessness, making several recommendations to strengthen the local safety net, particularly in light of the Medicaid expansion a year ago, which provided healthcare for most people who fall under 138 percent of the poverty level.

Jan 7, 2015

Steiner Hayward: Earned Sick Leave a Public Health Challenge

A pair of leading state Democratic lawmakers shared the stage Friday with the House Republican leader at the Portland City Club and gave a promising preview of what’s to come in the 2015 legislative session: a statewide law that would make Oregon the fourth state to mandate that employers give paid time off for sick employees.

Dec 22, 2014

OMIP Offers Regence BlueCross BlueShield $2.1 Million Agreement

Regence would have to deduct the cost of reconciling the books for its last-minute request to be paid for claims as old as 2010 to get money from a federal high-risk account that dissolves at the end of the year.

Dec 18, 2014

PEBB Costs Spike 7.4 Percent from 2013 for Providence Health Plan

The inflation rate matches national trends according to Mercer consultants, but that rate undermines Kitzhaber’s pledge to hold the growth in healthcare spending for public employees to 3.4 percent, and could wipe out savings the governor wants for state programs.

Dec 16, 2014

Oregon Nurses Association Intends to Beef Up Hospital Staffing Laws

A year ago, cuts to the emergency department at her hospital meant that just two nurses would be on the job during the overnight hours. An expanded behavioral health unit brought greater mental health resources, but without the staffing to keep up with the workload, said registered nurse Virginia Smith

Dec 16, 2014

Insurance Enrollments Still Down 50,000 Heading into Open Enrollment

he Insurance Division released some new numbers Friday showing marked improvement in the number of enrollees who have transferred over to healthcare.gov, but as many as 50,000 people currently served by Cover Oregon may see a lapse in coverage if they didn't pick an insurance plan by Dec. 15.

Dec 15, 2014

Basic Health Could Expand Universal Care and Bolster Reach of CCOs

Wakely Consulting Group and the Urban Institute say that the state can use the subsidies from the insurance exchange to pay for all but $25 million of a plan to expand no-cost coordinated healthcare to as many as 87,000 people.

Dec 11, 2014