Christian Wihtol

Legislative Task Force Proposes Steps Towards Universal Health Care Coverage

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

The group, which has been meeting since January, acknowledged that Oregon is not likely to adopt universal care anytime soon but it pointed towards that goal by offering initial steps.

Creating a “universal” state-run health care insurance system in Oregon is a monumental task and it’s unclear whether a majority of Oregonians even favor such a radical change, but a legislative work group this week offered some baby steps for the 2019 Legislature to consider.

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Game Not Over For Higher Taxes For Beer, Wine In Oregon

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

The Oregon Health Authority asked Gov. Kate Brown to hike taxes on beer and wine but she balked, saying it would be too hard a lift. But the issue is likely to come up again in the legislative session next year.

In their recent budget pitch, experts at the Oregon Health Authority were clear in declaring “excessive alcohol use” a scourge that fuels domestic violence and leads to birth defects, car wrecks, liver disease and cancer, killing some 2,000 people a year in Oregon.  

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Oregon Lawmakers Tackle Plan For Statewide Health Care

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

The task is ambitious and a work is in progress, with a report due at the end of November.

The Oregon Legislature launched a panel 10 months ago to develop a roadmap for affordable statewide universal health care. The task was ambitious. Similar efforts in other states have gotten nowhere, and there is scant support at the federal level for expanding Medicaid.

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Pharma Showers Key Oregon Lawmakers With Money

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

The industry has given big bucks to U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, who chairs a powerful congressional committee, but has ignored Rep. Peter DeFazio, who is not on any committees that influence drug legislation.

Oregon’s congressional delegation includes members who are among the most courted by the nation’s pharmaceutical industry, and those who are among the most shunned, a new study shows, as the battle over sky-high U.S. prescription drug prices takes on a greater intensity.

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Oregon Attracts Thousands Of Dollars Nationwide In Abortion Battle

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

Groups from around the country have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the fight against Ballot Measure 106 which would ban public funding of abortions.

Oregon has become a surprise battleground over abortion rights in next month’s election, as Planned Parenthood affiliates and other pro-choice groups from around the country pour hundreds of

By: 
Christian Wihtol

OHSU’s Revenues In Just-Finished Fiscal Year Hit A Record

In 2017-18, the university enjoyed brisk growth in outpatient and emergency department visits and in Medicare and Medicaid patients.

An aging population, increased federal spending on health care for the poor, and a strongly growing regional economy all continue to work to the advantage of Oregon Health & Science University.

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Oregon’s Most Profitable Hospital Has No Charity Care, Favors Private Insurers

This article is for premium subscribers. Please sign up here for a tax-deductible subscription. 

If you're a premium subscriber, sign in below. 

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield is embroiled in a nurse staffing dispute, with critics claiming it makes profits through understaffing.

Oregon’s most profitable hospital, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, sits in an unlikely spot in the center of blue-collar Springfield, hemmed in by old strip malls and modest residential neighborhoods.

By: 
Christian Wihtol

Pages

Subscribe to Christian Wihtol