Nick Budnick

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SHUTTERSTOCK

State boosts rates to keep Oregon Health Plan contractors

The rates issued by the state for last year’s contracts failed to cover costs to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, prompting some care organizations to consider leaving the Medicaid-funded program altogether

Sep 9, 2025
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Rachel Solotaroff at Portland's Old Town Clinic. | COURTESY CENTRAL CITY CONCERN

Health system serving 1 million low-income Oregonians faces emergency surgery

After failing to budget for massive hikes in underlying costs, state officials are scrambling to tweak and trim the Oregon Health Plan to keep its nationally known Medicaid-funded managed care system intact. Failure could mean problems for patients and higher costs for the state.

Sep 4, 2025
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Input sought: Can Oregon’s health care merger watchdog do better?

Public comments will be accepted online and in virtual meetings this month as state volunteers take a look at how an increasingly high-profile office tries to protect against any harmful effects from health care mergers

Sep 2, 2025
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Danish drug giant sues Tualatin plastic surgery clinic

Pharmaceutical giant’s suit claims Gorin Plastic Surgery used misleading marketing to sell compounded version of anti-obesity meds. The suit is one of 12 filed across the country as the firm tries to squelch the proliferation of copycat versions that are less expensive.

Aug 28, 2025
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LUND REPORT ILLUSTRATION/SHUTTERSTOCK

Rep. Rob Nosse warns of risks if Oregon's Medicaid care system unravels

Organizations charged to direct care in the state's Medicaid plan are considering pulling out of the program entirely, raising the alarm among state health officials and lawmakers

Aug 26, 2025

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Multnomah County worked to vaccinate people of color and people experiencing homelessness. | MOTOYA NAKAMURA/MULTNOMAH COUNTY

Oregon's health care program for low-income people is in ‘crisis,’ leaders say

Much publicized federal cuts haven't even kicked in yet. But the state's health care system for 1.4 million low-income people is already bleeding red ink, and leaders of the care organizations in the Oregon Health Plan say they can't afford to keep delivering care at a huge loss.

Aug 21, 2025

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State mental health system faces another court challenge

A federal judge will hear arguments over hospitals’ claims that Oregon is violating federal law by failing to care for civilly committed patients

Aug 12, 2025
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Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | BEN BOTKIN/THE LUND REPORT

Federal judge pans Oregon Health Authority's bid to put contempt order on hold

State officials claimed that paying fines for unconstitutionally holding mentally ill people in jail would force it to cut services, potentially adding to gaps in the state's behavioral health system

Aug 7, 2025
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Diane Lund-Muzikant | COURTESY PHOTO

Letter from the editor: Remembering the impact and legacy of Diane Lund-Muzikant

Diane's diligent reporting on health care was not just a vocation, but an imperative, driven by the knowledge that there are few topics that are more important to more people

Aug 5, 2025
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Rapid COVID-19 test. | SHUTTERSTOCK

Long COVID may be more common than we think, Oregon study finds

Whether your case felt mild has nothing to do with how severe the long-term effects may be, researchers found based on a study of monkeys infected with the Delta variant

Jul 24, 2025
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