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Meet the group chipping away at public benefits one state at a time

A conservative think tank has worked for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs, including cutting Medicaid and placing new restrictions on food stamps

May 8

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) speaks at Mehmet Oz's confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on March 14. | ERIC HARKLEROAD/KFF HEALTH NEWS

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden seeks answers on RFK Jr.’s purge of FOIA staff

Wyden wants Kennedy to outline what plans, if any, HHS has to keep meeting its FOIA obligations, and how much Elon Musk was involved in the decisions

May 8

FLICKR/YODCOX!

Congressional budget agency projects sweeping Medicaid cutbacks in states under GOP plans

The nonpartisan agency found that under some scenarios, millions of Americans could be kicked off Medicaid and possibly left without health insurance

May 8

Former OHSU oncologist Vinay Prasad tapped by RFK Jr. to head FDA vaccine division

Vinay Prasad rose to prominence criticizing Big Pharma from Portland — then turned his focus to the public health establishment

May 8
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Felisa Hagins, executive director of the Oregon State Council of the Service Employees International Union was among several panelists to challenge the status quo qhen it comes to health care cost. Also pictured (left to right) are Charlotte Flood, CEO, Northwest Primary Care; Jack Friedman, former CEO, Providence Health; Dr. Tracy Muday, executive medical director, Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon; and Sarah Bartelmann, cost programs manager, Oregon Health Authority. Not pictured is Sean Kolmer, Hospital Association of Oregon executive vice president. | NICK BUDNICK/THE LUND REPORT

Oregon health care cost hikes prompt calls for collaboration, change

An expert panel on Tuesday agreed recent cost-growth hikes are unsustainable, calling for more collaboration, creativity and action

May 7
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Morrow County Health District ambulances in northeastern Oregon. | COURTESY MORROW COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT

Paramedic sues Morrow County Health District for $1.5 million over her firing

Samantha Ward was helping a colleague with alleged harassment when a union official allegedly alerted management to an earlier lawsuit she'd filed— leading to her termination, the federal lawsuit claims

May 6
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A worker applies an adhesive bandage to a child at a vaccination clinic in Minneapolis’ Corcoran Park in August 2023

A worker applies an adhesive bandage to a child at a vaccination clinic in Minneapolis’ Corcoran Park in Aug. 2023. Minneapolis is among the cities forced to cancel vaccinations after cutoffs in federal funding. | COURTESY OF CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS

As measles outbreaks grow, Trump cuts hinder vaccination efforts

The nation is approaching 1,000 cases across 29 states, including 3 deaths, but funding cuts are shutting down vaccination efforts

May 6

A rendering shows the design of the new Western State Hospital, set to be completed between 2027 and 2029. | IMAGE COURTESY OF HOK ARCHITECTURE

Construction picking up at new Washington psychiatric hospital

The new hospital is key to complying with a court-ordered settlement and meeting the rising demands for mental health care

May 6

Department of Health and Human Services sign

SHUTTERSTOCK

Democrat attorneys general sue RFK Jr., Trump administration to keep public health programs

Oregon joins Washington, California and others in suit hoping to halt mass firings and restore health care services, claiming the administration is violating hundreds of regulations

May 6