Chris Gray

OMIP Sets Reinsurance Tax for 2014 at About $46 Per Person

The high-risk pool is charged with operating a state reinsurance program that is intended to spread the risk and soften the blow to insurance companies that have consumers with high medical claims. The $46 per person assessment annually to health insurance policies will be used to reimburse insurers for former OMIP consumers who run up bills of more than $30,000.

Nov 20, 2014

Multnomah County Commission Shows Need for Tighter Nicotine Laws

Oregon is one of just nine states that doesn’t bar minors from buying electronic cigarettes, which along with traditional tobacco products are geared toward children with high concentrations of the same tasty chemicals found in Kool-Aid and candy. The tobacco industry has also exploited a loophole in the law that bans flavored cigarettes by offering candy-flavored cigarillos.

Nov 14, 2014

Telehealth Visits in Patient Homes in Good Shape for 2015 Session

Healthcare consumers could soon be able to meet with their doctor or nurse practitioner via two-way Internet video conference from the comfort of their homes, if a legislative recommendation becomes law next year.

Nov 12, 2014

Democratic Veterans Expect Bipartisan Support for Top Health Policy Goals

The 2014 election has left Oregon Democrats with a much easier time pushing progressive legislation but at least for now healthcare policy leaders in the Legislature say they plan to aim for an agenda that will draw bipartisan support, much like the 2013 session.

Nov 12, 2014

Oregon Teachers Flock to Catastrophic Plans to Keep Down Costs

For the first time, the most popular plan for covering people through the Oregon Educators Benefit Board will be a high-deductible health insurance plan.

Nov 6, 2014

Beyer Tells Springfield Hospital to Meet Employee Demands after Strike

A pair of Springfield legislators have attempted to intervene in the labor dispute at McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, which resulted in more than 300 employees walking out in a three-day strike last week.

Nov 4, 2014

DHS Sketches Plan to Cut Cost of New Home Care Labor Rules

The Oregon Department of Human Services has sketched out some policy proposals that would cut in half the state’s costs for adhering to the Obama administration’s new interpretation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Nov 3, 2014

SEIU Strikes For-Profit Springfield Hospital After 10 Months Without Contract

Community Health Systems, the Tennessee company that owns McKenzie-Willamette Hospital, wants to increase healthcare premiums for employees as much as 9 percent while giving them a slight raise. The hospital posted $11.7 million in profits on patient care in 2012.

Oct 29, 2014

Hermiston Hospital Officials Say Providence Withheld Payment for Hospitalizations

Officials at the Good Shepherd hospital told The Lund Report that unlike other insurers, Providence Health Plan doesn’t trust the hospitals’ judgment on hospital admissions and may later stiff them for payment. The dispute between the two companies led the hospital to send out a letter advising Hermiston residents to find another health insurance company.

Oct 29, 2014

Kitzhaber Lays Out Monitoring and Voluntary Quarantines to Prevent Ebola Outbreak

Gov. John Kitzhaber announced Monday that Oregon would contain any potential Ebola virus threat by hewing closely to guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and not take more drastic steps as ordered on the East Coast to detain anyone returning to the United States who had come in contact with the disease in West Africa.

Oct 28, 2014