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Oregon is outpacing other states, with nearly 43,000 signups on healthcare.gov, out of 2.3 million across the country. But to match last year, Oregon needs to double its enrollment by Dec. 15, while the nation must triple its own.

January 30, 2012 -- New HIV screening rules coming before the February session represent a complete turnaround in the strategy of advocates for people suffering from the 30-year-old virus causing immune system deficiency. To protect HIV patients from discrimination, state lawmakers in the 1990s passed a series of laws that now require special forms for consenting to an HIV test and extra layers of bureaucracy for transferring HIV-related patient data. Under proposed legislation, patients would no longer have to give specific informed consent for an HIV test.

Gov. Kate Brown’s order on Tuesday comes as cases -- and hospitalizations -- continue to rise.

Patterson, Nosse remain chairs, but each committee will see reshuffling as the Legislature prepares to tackle thorny health care issues.