oregon legislature

Dembrow Cheers Bill to Regulate Air Pollution for Public Health

air pollution smoke rising from a factory tower
Senate Bill 1541 salvages the Cleaner Air Oregon program, allowing for a compromise on health standards from what an advisory committee proposed, but still far beyond what is currently in place and stricter than Oregon’s neighbors.

The Oregon Senate unanimously passed a bill that will put tough public health standards in place for air polluters, setting new limits on chemical exhausts based on the risk of cancer and other health ailments.

By: 
Chris Gray

House Passes Bill to Expand Hours at Outpatient Surgery Centers

image depicting an ambulatory surgery center
An amendment to HB 4020 also restores a policy thought to be killed earlier this session -- requiring hospitals to issue copies of their financial assistance policies to patients.

The Oregon Ambulatory Surgery Center Association appears poised to get a big win in the 2018 session, as legislation allowing centers to keep patients overnight heads for passage after a years-long fight.

By: 
Chris Gray

Bill To Rewrite Oregon's Advanced Medical Directives Passes Senate

advanced directive
The legislation would allow people to appoint a healthcare representative if they become incapacitated.

A bill to rewrite Oregon’s advanced medical directive form passed the Senate Tuesday.

Republicans are worried it erodes protections for people receiving end-of-life care.

Oregon was the first state in the nation to enshrine advanced directives in its statutes.

By: 
Kristian Foden-Vencil

CCO Reform Bill Faces Last-Minute Hurdle

Oregon State Capitol
HB 4018 opens up the governance boards of the 15 CCOs that administer the Oregon Health Plan.

The Senate Health Committee cleared the CCO reform bill on party lines, setting up a vote in the full Senate to require the state’s 15 coordinated care organizations to meet more openly and spend excess reserves on reducing the social determinants of health.

By: 
Chris Gray

Senate Democratic Leaders Kill Hope Amendment

Oregon Senate Chambers
Despite unified support in the House and 12 Democratic co-sponsors in the Senate, the Senate leadership refuses to allow a vote on a ballot referral to add healthcare access to the state’s bill of rights.

Senate Democratic leaders have blocked a ballot referral from progressive House Democrats, including Rep. Mitch Greenlick of Portland, that would have declared access to healthcare a constitutional right, denying a chance for the people to vote on the measure this fall.

By: 
Chris Gray

Drug Price Transparency Clears Second Hurdle

Backers of HB 4005 were able to fight off excessive delays to a bill that would require pharmaceuticals to explain price hikes of over 10 percent per year.

The drug transparency bill passed out of a key budget subcommittee with just minor changes on a 6-2 vote Tuesday, setting up a vote in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means as early as this week.

By: 
Chris Gray

Bill Requiring Training for Home Care Workers Advances

SEIU backs a consensus bill from the Senate Workforce Committee to set up federally funded training for its 35,000 home care workers registered with the Home Care Commission who help seniors on Medicaid stay in their homes.

The Oregon Senate unanimously voted Monday to strengthen standards for home care workers, passing a bill designed to protect many of the state’s most vulnerable seniors and developmentally disabled people who receive the

By: 
Chris Gray

Ashland Republican Takes Role in Healthcare Arena

Sen. Alan DeBoer will be a new face on two key committees as the Legislature convenes this month. In an interview with The Lund Report, he added his support to programs for children with disabilities, which face cuts.

The Oregon State Capitol will have a new face for the 2018 session in its health policy circles, as Ashland Republican Sen. Alan DeBoer steps into the void on two key committees.

By: 
Chris Gray

Reproductive Health Bill Passes Embroiled Oregon House, Heads to Senate

Oregon Capitol Building
With a 33-23 vote, Oregon is leading the way in the opposite direction of most of America, as the state’s Democrats try to make it as easy as possible for women to make their own choices about reproductive healthcare.

The Oregon House passed the reproductive health bill, 33-23, sending to the Senate a controversial but hard-fought bill for women’s healthcare access that would close gaps in coverage to contraceptives and abortion

By: 
Chris Gray

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