Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson

Monnes Anderson Asks Gresham Voters for Another Four Years

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.

Every four years, Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, pounds the pavement, walks the streets of her east Multnomah County district and knocks on doors, taking no vote for granted.

By: 
Chris Gray

Oregon Senate Frees Small Businesses to Offer Self-Insured Health Plans

HB 4050 allows small businesses to buy stop-loss health insurance coverage and gives them the option of self-insurance as opposed to the state fully-insured small group market.

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.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Senator Accuses Dentistry Board of Racking up Violations in Money Grab

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 Legislature’s only dentist and the director of the Board of Dentistry traded barbs in a hearing of the Senate Health Committee, with Sen.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

House May Roll Back Bill Expanding Drug Monitoring Program

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.

Editor's Note: This article has been amended for accuracy.

May 9, 2013 — Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, has moved to scale back a measure that would enhance the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, citing concerns raised by the American Civil Liberties Union.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Conference Committee Wants Under-18 Ban for Tanning Beds

The move should clear the way for Oregon to be the third state to ban tanning for minors, and comes a day after the Food and Drug Administration proposes warning labels for the carcinogenic devices.

 

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.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Rate Filings Must Be Public Unless Insurers Can Prove Disclosure Hurts Competition

The Department of Justice affirmed that the standard is based on a 2007 law; last year, Regence BlueCross BlueShield withheld information from the public in its rate filing.

 

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.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Senate Votes to Set Tanning Ban Age Limit at 17

The Senate approved HB 2896 on a 17-11 vote, but to gain the support of Sen. Chip Shields, the bill was weakened from the House version, which would make it illegal for teens to tan under the age of 18

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.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Bates Offers Path for CCOs to Roll in Dental Networks

SB 373 requires CCOs to offer dental contracts to all dental care organizations from 2014 to 2017 before they contract with other dental care providers such as Kaiser Permanente.

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.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

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