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Dr. Alan Bates, a Democratic senator from Medford, helped craft a fixed budget for the Public Employees Benefit Board that would be able to control costs through innovation. The doctor also chided PEBB on offering perks through self-reporting in its smoking cessation program.

Internal documents show upbeat forecasts that underpin a planned partnership between two major Oregon healthcare companies

Many patients see a naturopath as their primary care provider and clinics such as ZoomCare use them interchangeably with nurse practitioners. But a quarter of the insurance companies charge special copayments for naturopaths or don’t allow them to bill for preventive services.

Senate Bill 891, introduced today, would require Oregon health care facilities to post their prices and provide real-time price estimates for consumers on request.

The new report says 2009 insurance reforms have resulted in $80 million savings, but says health insurers are still not being held fully accountable for their hyper-inflated rate increases.