Lynne Saxton’s Confirmation Held Up Along With Other Nominees

Until two days ago Lynne Saxton had been expected to be confirmed by the Oregon Senate as the new administrator of the Oregon Health Authority.

Then everything came to a crushing halt with the announcement by Senate President Peter Courtney.

The news came as no surprise to onlookers since Governor John Kitzhaber had chosen the list of 42 people to serve on state boards and agencies. Everyone realized that those nominees were now rightfully in the hands of Governor Kate Brown.

There was also further speculation in the Capitol yesterday about putting on the brakes, since no one seemed to know whether it was legal for the Senate to confirm the nominees since they had been chosen by a former governor.

Given that scenario and the need for Brown to vet these candidates, it’s too early to know exactly when the confirmation hearing will take place.

Until then, Saxton will continue as acting director of the OHA, a position left vacant since the departure of Bruce Goldberg in December 2013 who left the agency to run Cover Oregon. Suzanne Hoffman had stepped in as interim director but had chosen not to seek the position.

Saxton’s role as the potential director is also being questioned by some insiders who believe she not only lacks experience in healthcare policy but also might have irked legislators by telling federal officials to cut back funding for the Medicaid expansion because she believed several of the coordinated care organizations have very high profit margins.

However, no one was willing to confirm whether this was true, saying Saxton has had no role in budget deliberations with legislators, and federal funding for the Oregon Health Plan is dependent on matching dollars from the state’s general fund and hospital provider taxes.

In 2012, the federal government approved $1.9 billion to support the Oregon Health Plan over the next five years, and, in return, Oregon officials vowed to keep inflationary costs at a reduced level, for example, 3.4 percent, in 2015. In 2015. That also led to the development of the 16 coordinated care organizations now in place throughout the state.

Kitzhaber had nominated Saxton, a Republican to blunt criticism and achieve a bipartisan relationship with his legislative colleagues. Saxton had served on his 2010 transition. Prior to accepting this position, she was the executive director of Youth Villages Oregon, which provides residential treatment and in-home services for children with emotional and behavioral problems.

In a written statement, Kitzhaber called Saxton, “a dynamic leader who has worked in a number of sectors, and proven herself effective in complex environments. I am pleased to have her lead the agency and continue our success in implementing healthcare transformation."

In her statement, Saxton said "Oregonians have a right to quality, affordable health care and it is my mission to make that a reality."

Before leaving office, the Oregon Health Budget in the Governor's budget for 2015-17 was:

General Fund: $790,620,363

Other Funds: $ 1,885,394,144

Federal Fund: $ 9,552,040,142

TOTAL FUNDS: $12,228,054,649

It is now up to the Ways and Means Committee to make the final budget decision for next biennium.

Diane can be reached at [email protected].