The Universal Health Plan Governance Board met Thursday to discuss how to replace Executive Director Morgan Cowling less than a year after she began.
Cowling is resigning to work for the newest member of Oregon’s congressional delegation, U.S. Rep Maxine Dexter.
The vacancy creates a new challenge for the board even as it tries to overcome obstacles that have caused similar efforts in other states to fizzle.
But the opening also could create an opportunity for progress, according to Dr. Sam Metz, who is among the many single-payer advocates who felt the board was at risk of failure. Some advocates felt staff guidance and overstepping was contributing to a lack of progress.
“I'm excited about this because I had written off the governance board entirely,” Metz told The Lund Report.
Among the reasons for his excitement is the news that Gov. Tina Kotek nominated Mary Lou Hennrich — a prominent former nurse and health care administrator who is on the board of Health Care for All Oregon — to serve on the state governance board, he said.
Hennrich “is committed to getting things done,” Metz said, adding that if the state hires a new executive director with a similar attitude, “things may get done.”
Metz hopes the state now hires Warren George, a board member who resigned in part due to concerns that staff was impeding progress, to replace Cowling.
Asked about her resignation, Cowling told The Lund Report on Thursday that she will serve as district director for Dexter, the former Democratic state lawmaker who was elected in November, calling it an “an amazing opportunity.”
The board selected Jennifer Donovan, a senior policy advisor, to serve as interim executive director until a replacement is named.
Oregon lawmakers in 2023 passed the law creating the nine-member board in 2023.