Rep. Jim Thompson

Thompson Back in the Ring for Round Two Against Nearman for House Seat

The former co-chairman of the Oregon House Health Committee was booted out of office in the Republican primary in 2014, but former Rep. Jim Thompson of Dallas believes the more mainstream voters casting ballots in the general election will restore him to office on the Independent Party platform.

Like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, former Dallas Rep. Jim Thompson is back this election for another round against Rep. Mike Nearman, hoping to win back his title, and represent the residents of the west Willamette Valley, including Dallas and rural Polk, Yamhill and Benton counties.

By: 
Chris Gray

Wanda Davis Looks at Opening to Flip Dallas Seat Democratic

While normally a safe Republican seat, moderate Republicans say the seat is now the Democrats' to lose after a primary revolt threw out the incumbent Rep. Jim Thompson in favor of a hard-line conservative. The new dynamic could elevate Davis, who has worked in state healthcare programs for 15 years.

Wanda Davis has the kind of rags-to-middle-class story that used to define the role of government after President Roosevelt’s New Deal.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Thompson Tries to Survive Strong Challenge from the Right

Rep. Jim Thompson is among the most influential Republicans on healthcare issues, serving as the vice-chair of the House Health Care Committee. But his support for same-sex marriage and his compromising demeanor on healthcare reforms has forced him to defend his Dallas-based House district against a conservative eager to take a more provocative approach to politics.

Mike Nearman wants to take the Oregon Republican Party in a new direction, one along Tea Party lines and rid the party of so-called “Republicans In Name Only” that hold sway in the Oregon House. He wants to start with Rep. Jim Thompson, R-Dallas, whom he believes hasn’t done enough to derail the hated Obamacare laws.

“He’s content to just get spoon fed whatever Cover Oregon wants,” said Nearman, an information technology professional and the chairman of the Polk County Republicans. “I wouldn’t let John Kitzhaber get away without answering any questions.”

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Technical Errors Prevent Cover Oregon from Opening Meeting to Public

Cover Oregon tried to open its legislative oversight committee to the public, only to have technical errors shut the meeting down 12 minutes after it began when the public telephone line failed to work.

Cover Oregon tried to open its legislative oversight committee to the public, only to have technical errors shut the meeting down 12 minutes after it began when the public telephone line failed to work.

The Tuesday meeting was intended to be the first public meeting of the legislative oversight committee, which the Legislature had created to oversee the work of Cover Oregon. Little was known about when these meetings were actually taking place because they were kept secretive and held without access to the public or the media, in possible violation of the Public Meetings Law.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Goldberg’s Exit Shifts Medicaid Transformation into Uncertain Waters

Rep. Mitch Greenlick thinks it was a mistake for the governor to “scapegoat” Goldberg for Cover Oregon’s problems. The outgoing Oregon Health Authority director has been at the center of the state’s attempts to expand healthcare access and reform the delivery system for Medicaid. But others think his exit could be a chance to change a dysfunctional culture at the Oregon Health Authority.

The fallout from the Cover Oregon debacle will not be limited to the failed online insurance exchange and could have major repercussions throughout Oregon’s health system and the coordinated care organization reform efforts, largely due to the loss of longtime public servant Dr. Bruce Goldberg.

Last week, Gov. John Kitzhaber announced Goldberg’s resignation -- the health policy leader took responsibility for his role in the state’s failure to effectively manage lackluster web developer Oracle. While Goldberg headed up the Oregon Health Authority, the California technology giant sent Oregon a large infrastructure of bad codes rather than the functioning Amazon.com-style website it had promised, leaving Oregon as the only state where consumers cannot sign up for private health insurance online without assistance.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Cover Oregon Ejects Reporters from Closed-Door Meeting with Legislators

Gov. Kitzhaber announced Tuesday that open enrollment will be extended through April but the exchange is reeling from his announcement last week that top officials would lose their jobs. Cover Oregon staff blocked reporters from a legislative meeting, in possible violation of the Public Meetings Law.

Cover Oregon kicked The Lund Report out of a meeting with top legislators at its Durham headquarters Tuesday, and barred two Statesman-Journal reporters at the door from entering the office.

The reporter from The Lund Report was escorted out of the office by Cover Oregon marketing director Amy Fauver and spokeswoman Ariane Holm, and was told it was a private meeting.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Medical Equipment Exchange Bill Passes House

House Bill 4108 helps to coordinate existing programs to exchange lightly used durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs. The House also passed the bill to study the basic health plan and another bill aimed at youth suicide prevention.

In a state famous for its recycling ethic, medical equipment that could otherwise end up in landfills or lost in attics will soon be reused on a much wider level to help kids who’ve outgrown their equipment or adults who

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Prescription Drug Synchronization Bill on Breezy Path through Legislature

Sen. Alan Bates has pushed a bill that will help eliminate unnecessary trips to the drug store by allowing pharmacists to develop prescription drug plans with patients when chronic medications are refilled on the same date each month. The coordination of drug refills should save money and lives by making it easier for patients to adhere to their medication regimens.

The House Health Committee passed a bill Wednesday that will help consumers with multiple medications cut down on their trips to the drug store and allow them to get all of their long-term medications filled at the same

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Cover Oregon Bill Passes Health Committee with Few Alterations

The committee’s Republican members failed to make major amendments to House Bill 4154 which included shutting down the insurance exchange and expediting an audit from the Secretary of State. Meanwhile, money from a lapsed premium tax should be able to cover the three-month extension of the high-risk pool.

The House Health Committee unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that seeks to mitigate the problems consumers have faced in obtaining health insurance because of the disastrous rollout of the state insurance exchange, Cover Oregon.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

House Clears Way for Electronic Prescriptions of Powerful Drugs

Advocates of House Bill 4013 say that allowing doctors to prescribe Schedule II drugs electronically will make life easier for practitioners and pharmacists while cutting down on prescription forgeries.

The House unanimously passed its first healthcare bill of the 2014 session Thursday, a bipartisan measure that will allow physicians and nurse practitioners to file electronic prescriptions of Schedule II drugs, simplify

By: 
Christopher David Gray

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