Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, the chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee, often faces tough re-election challenges, and this year’s no exception. But missteps by her opponent have left Democrats confident of her victory and helped them shift resources to replacing the late Sen. Alan Bates in southern Oregon.
The Senate voted Tuesday to make it easier for small businesses to provide self-insured health coverage for their employees, eliminating a barrier that kept those employers from buying stop-loss coverage.
Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, has proposed a bill that would mandate that dentists test the cleanliness of their equipment weekly, but forgive dentists who have been disciplined and fined by the board for overlooking a rule ordered by the Board of Dentistry.
The House Health Committee Chairman wants to give DCBS new powers in the annual health insurance rate review approval, while the Senate Health Committee Chairwoman continues to support Regence’s efforts to limit notice of rate hikes.
Rep. Mitch Greenlick opposes allowing the Board of Pharmacy to add drugs to the tracking system that are not controlled by the DEA, aligning his concerns with the American Civil Liberties Union.
May 8, 2013 -- A day after the Food and Drug Administration proposed new warning labels about the risk of cancer from tanning beds, the Oregon Legislature moved closer to banning commercial tanning salons from serving customers younger than 18.
April 26, 2013 -- Oregon health insurers that want to keep parts of their rate review filings secret may have to show that public disclosure will hurt overall marketplace competition, and not just their own bottom line.
April 25, 2013 — The Senate passed Senate Bill 136 on a 26-3 vote, which will allow certified registered nurse anesthetists to write prescriptions for up to 10 days.
April 22, 2013 — The Senate voted 17-11 on Monday to pass a less restrictive version of a teenage tanning salon ban than the one that passed the House overwhelmingly, prohibiting the practice for children under 17 without a doctor’s note.
This article has been corrected from an earlier version.
April 17, 2013 — Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, has pushed a last-minute bill that would require coordinated care organizations to first provide contracts to all the dental care organizations in its geographic area before hiring independent dentists.
