reform efforts

Oregon's Medicaid Lottery: A Participant's View

  May 13, 2013 -- A study of Oregonians who won a 2008 state lottery to get Medicaid benefits has sparked an intense debate about the value of expanding health care to the poor and about the benefits of health insurance in general. The researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last week that those who gained Medicaid coverage used more health services than low-income residents who had not been accepted into the program. But the Medicaid enrollees did not show significantly better blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels than the other group, although they had lower rates of depression.
 
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Outreach, Talk of Transparency Take Stage at Health Share's Community Advisory Council

Board meetings will have 'open sessions by invitation' and board meeting minutes will be available by request
May 8, 2013 – Following a relatively brief discussions of the ongoing Community Health Needs Assessment, the Mental Health and Addictions Committee and an update from CEO Janet Meyer – and a preview of the new member handbook – Health Share of Oregon's community advisory council went into an executive session that, according to the meeting agenda, was slated to last two hours. Read More >>

Foster Youth, Advocates Push for Foster Youth Bill of Rights

The bill consolidates all existing laws relating to the rights of foster youth and creates a complaint process, as well as a toolkit for transitioning to adult life
May 3, 2013 – Patrick Kinley went into foster care at the age of four and, at 21, has just “aged out” – meaning he's no longer able to receive care in foster homes. Read More >>

Oregon Pioneered Home Care Workers, Who’ve Waited Six Years for Raise

Home care workers provide long-term care to Medicaid clients and help low-income senior citizens stay in their homes and communities, but the workers are also the second-largest Oregon workforce eligible for food stamps.
May 1, 2013 — At 56, Rebecca Sandoval has grown kids but decided several years ago she would adopt someone new — a grandmother. Read More >>

Regence and Health Net Take Different Approach to Exchange

The health insurers that want to participate in Cover Oregon next year have until next Tuesday to file their proposed rates and benefit plans with the Insurance Division
April 26, 2013 -- Oregon’s health insurance exchange is about to take a decisive step forward next Tuesday. That’s when health insurers must file their proposed rates for individual and small group coverage with the Insurance Division. Those rates will be made public May 10, and public hearings have already been scheduled starting in late May.  Read More >>

Advocates Push for Better Protection of Children with Disabilities

Abuse prevention programs, and oversight regarding the use of restraints might mitigate disproportionate rates of abuse, they say
April 12, 2013 – Just under 12,000 reports of child abuse or neglect were substantiated by the state of Oregon in 2011, with 80 percent of those incidents involving a family member, according to the 2011 Child Welfare Data Book released by the state's Department of Human Services. Read More >>

Oregon Action Pushes Congress to Negotiate Medicare Drug Prices

Sen. Jeff Merkley to cosponsor a bill advocates say will reduce Medicare spending on drugs
April 9, 2013 – Oregon could save anywhere from $325 to $766 million if Medicare were able to negotiate prescription drug prices similar to governments of other wealthy countries. That's according to a March report released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, which was the subject of a press conference hosted by Ron Williams, executive director of Oregon Action, and Dean Baker, co-executive director of the Center and coauthor of the report. Read More >>

Kleinke Calls Obamacare a Full Employment Act for IT Specialists

He gave an overview of upcoming changes in the healthcare system and offered advice for dealing with reform when speaking in Portland last week
  March 21, 2013 – On the one hand: miraculous medical outcomes. On the other: wildly dysfunctional delivery system. Those features of the United States healthcare system create a paradox that sets us apart from any other health system in the world, said health economist J.D. Kleinke, taking the stage last week at  “Countdown to Meltdown? Preparing Your Organization for Health Reform & the Brave New Healthcare World,” an event sponsored by the Oregon chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Read More >>

DOJ Settlement Aims to Improve Mental Health Treatment

The DOJ settlement with the city of Portland requires coordinated care organizations to set up mental health drop-off centers by July, but it’s unclear how they were singled out in the agreement
March 15, 2013 – Last December's settlement between the Department of Justice and the city of Portland tasked the city and Multnomah County with a host of reforms intended to improve interactions between police and people with mental illness – and to improve access to mental healthcare. Read More >>

Oregon’s Health Insurance Exchange Leads the Nation

People can begin signing up in October and learn the amount of their federal subsidy, while coverage kicks in next January
March 8, 2013 – Oregon is among the leading states to get its health insurance exchange off the ground, according to Rocky King, executive director of Cover Oregon. Read More >>
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