About Us
The Lund Report brings our healthcare system into focus by going beneath the surface. Our goal is to educate you -- the consumer -- about this complex system, giving you the facts, analysis and action tools to make a difference.
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Who We Are
THE LUND REPORT is led by Diane Lund-Muzikant, its editor-in-chief, who has spent the past two decades writing about our healthcare system. Diane is the founder and former executive director and editor of Oregon Health Forum/Oregon Health News, an organization she ran for 16 ½ years. Under her leadership, it became the leading resource for health policy issues in the Pacific Northwest. Earlier, as a freelance journalist her work appeared in Good Housekeeping, People Magazine, The Oregonian and national health policy journals. Diane is also a 13-year breast cancer survivor and the co-founder and board chair of Rachel’s Friends Breast Cancer Coalition, an educational and advocacy organization focused on the environmental impacts of cancer. She can be reached at Diane@thelundreport.orgContributors
Christopher David Gray is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Chicago Reader, Time Out: Chicago, Gapers Block, Cincinnati CityBeat andpatch.com. He worked previously as a staff reporter at the Roseburg News-Review, covering city government and social services in southern Oregon, where he won awards from the Oregon Publishers Association and the Society for Professional Journalists. He recently returned to Oregon to become the legislative reporter for The Lund Report after several years in Chicago, where he reported on issues affecting the South Side black community. He was recognized with a Rosa Parks Transit Equity Award by Developing Communities Project, the grassroots organization founded by President Barack Obama. He also worked with Physicians for a National Health Program and the Medicare News Group. A native of Defiance, Ohio, he is a graduate of Miami University and has a master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Bill Lascher is a freelance journalist whose work appears in High Country News, the Northwest News Network, Portland Monthly and other outlets. A member of the Society of Environmental Journalists, he covers the relationship between the environment and health for the Lund Report. Elsewhere, Lascher covers energy, transportation, natural disasters and the various intersections of the human and natural world. A narrative nonfiction writer increasingly dipping his toes into multimedia journalism, Lascher was a Knight Digital Media Center Multimedia and Convergence journalism fellow at U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and has a master's degree in specialized journalism from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism. A Ventura, California native and a graduate of Oberlin College and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, he was previously the editor of the Ventura County Reporter and a staff writer at the Pacific Coast Business Times. His website is www.lascheratlarge.com and his Twitter handle is @billlascher.
Christen McCurdy is a freelance journalist and technical writer whose work has appeared in The Oregonian, The Portland Mercury, Street Roots, Oregon Business Magazine, Bitch Magazine, and Nerve. Previously, she was an editor and reporter for The Argus Observer in Ontario, and The Daily Barometer at Oregon State University, both of which received general excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalists during her tenure. She has also worked in direct care for adults with physical and developmental disabilities, and has volunteered with Outside In and Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette. Her professional portfolio can be viewed here, and she can be reached at christenmccurdy@gmail.com.
Raymond Rendleman works full-time as the news editor for The Clackamas Review and The Oregon City News, but his passion for journalism and independent analysis of the Oregon healthcare industry is so great that he regularly contributes to The Lund Report. He’s also written for The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune, Willamette Week, The Portland Observer and numerous other local publications and national magazines. The Oregon/SW Washington chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has awarded him the past three years, including one award through The Lund Report.
Kyna Rubin is a freelance writer who worked for many years in Washington, D.C. She was co-creator and editor of the “Narrative Matters” section of the health policy journal Health Affairs; she created and wrote the “Inside Stories” series for Grantmakers in Health; and she was staff writer/editor at The Urban Institute, where she wrote magazine articles about health policy and other institute research. She has taught health policy writing to graduate students at George Washington University. Trained as a China specialist (M.A., Modern Chinese Literature, University of British Columbia), she has written for magazines and newspapers on China-related topics.
Joanne Scharer is a freelance writer/editor and writing workshop facilitator with a background in public policy. Joanne has written policy studies and articles on public health, education, economic development, and sustainability. Her clients have included the NC Center for Public Policy Research, the NC Department of Commerce, the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Government, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Oregon Health Forum, among others. She earned master’s degrees in public administration and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joanne moved to Oregon from North Carolina by way of various countries in the Middle East and Central America in 2006. She can be reached at joanne@allwritingmatters.com.
Courtney Sherwood is a Portland-based freelance writer and editor who specializes in financial analysis and use of digital journalism tools. She contributes to a number of magazines, newspapers and websites, and is a fill-in onlne editor at Oregon Public Broadcasting radio. Previously business and features editor of The Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., she's also worked as a staff reporter at The Columbian, the Portland Business Journal and other Pacific Northwest publications. In 2009, she was accepted and received a scholarship to attend the selective Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists at the University of Pennsylvania. Her reporting has been cited by Investigative Reporters and Editors and Propublica, and she has won Society for Professional Journalists awards for investigative work, coverage of business and writing on health care.
Blair Thomas is a freelance writer and graduate student studying public health and policy in the Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. He received a degree in political science from the University of Portland in 2007 and was a sports and features writer for The Beacon. Blair serves as both Secretary and Treasurer of the Oregon Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Miriam Widman is a freelance writer/editor/radio producer who has worked in a half dozen US cities and several foreign countries. She is fluent in German, French and Spanish and has covered German and European healthcare policy for APM Health Europe and new drug and device launches for Off the Record Research and Grassroots Research. On the radio side she has produced spot news and features for National Public Radio, The World, Marketplace, Oregon Public Broadcasting and KBOO Community Radio.
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Help for increasing premiums
When my husband and I moved to Oregon in 2006, we were covered by a private plan in the state we were moving from. Since we weren't on a group plan, none of the private insurers in Oregon had to accept us. Our only option was the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool (OMIP). My husband probably could have gotten private insurance but I was told that since I was married, we both had to be on OMIP (3 1/2 years later I found out this wasn't the case - but by then it was too late to get him on a private plan).
When we first enrolled, our monthly premium was just under $900. This year it is $1400. We had three increases in four years - 30% this year alone. (We also have a $750 deductible and a 20% co-pay). I live in fear that we will have another huge increase this coming year. We simply cannot afford another large increase. We are young retirees so medicare is still several years away. It seems like our only option is going to be pay the premium and end up broke by the time we can enroll in medicare or go without insurance and risk losing everything should we have a catastrophic illness or accident. Living in a very rural part of the state, there really aren't any jobs - especially ones that provide health insurance and moving isn't an option. Are there other options that I don't know about?
What are people supposed to do? It's just so unfair that theses CEO's are raking in big bucks while their customers go broke trying to pay for their health care.
PEBB's HEM and patient privacy
Diane,
Oregon Public Employee Benefit Board is requiring participation in the Health Engagement you reported on in June. PEBB notified employees Oct. 6. I am concerned about privacy violations. Is what they're requiring legal under HIPPA? Here's part of the memo employees received:
3. I understand that my Health Assessment will include recommendations customized for me that may include the following required standards:
a. If my waist circumference exceeds a certain number of inches, I will participate in Weight Watchers or nutritional counseling or a program of physical activity or an assessment and action plan appropriate for me developed by my provider. The number for women is 35 inches– excluding pregnant women and women within 24 months after giving birth. The number for men is 40 inches.
b. If I am a tobacco user, I will participate in a tobacco cessation program, e.g. Quit for Life, or other therapy recommended by my provider.
c. If my Health Assessment identifies stress, alcohol use or substance abuse as risks to my health, I will contact the employee assistance program or complete an e-lesson on reducing the risk, or work with my provider to develop a plan of action.
d. If a licensed medical professional from Kaiser or Providence calls me about a diagnosed chronic condition or other illness based on information submitted by my provider, I will accept or return the call to learn about potential support services for managing my condition.
4. I will review Decision Points information as available on my health plan’s website prior to non-emergency surgeries or medical tests https://members.kaiserpermanente.org/kpweb/healthency.do?hwid=share (Kaiser) and http://www.providence.org/healthlibrary/contentViewer.aspx?hwid=share (Providence).
5. I will document the actions I take (and, if applicable, those taken by my spouse or domestic partner) on the HEM log or in a similar form. My documentation will include dates of completing the Health Assessment and e-lessons, contacts with a case or disease manager, and participation in program requirements.
Leaves a lot of questions: who is conducting the Health Assessment? How much is the penalty for non-compliance. As outlined, it is punitive. Big Brother-ish!
I think an incentive plan is far better.
Here's a link to the full memo http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/PEBB/2012Benefits/Docs/HemAgreement20110929.pdf
Hope you can tell us if this is not a violation of privacy.
Thank you! I appreciate receiving your newsletter!
Years ago, I worked for the Oregon Health Forum as an administrative assistant. I am so excited to be reading The Lund Report now. This new format is so positive and informative. The news items are great! Thank you so much.
Retha
Positive change
I am thankful and struck by the positive approach to the thought that health care is a human right. It's part of the social contract that we have as a country, although it seems that the social contract only occurs when someone thinks about someone else. We have other basic social rights as well, but health care is top on the list at this point. Next we need to deal with the issue of housing for all (something that is missing in Portland).
Let's keep the fire going!
Is this a new policy? Kudos.
Hi Diane,
{from your above statement}
"We’re passionate about what we do and are beholden to no one because we do not accept funds from the healthcare industry."
Again, kudos to you and your team.
I am pleased to see your nod to authentic transparency and hope you are not accepting industry funds, their leadership and lobbyists - directly or otherwise. Complex systems can too often be like briar patches.
All the best for a brighter, transparent tomorrow for all - Thank you.
Sean
sean@circus-oregon.com
"profit margins need to be curtailed"
I agree that many times people get very poor value for their health care dollar, but stating that "profit margins need to be curtailed" is a populist sentiment that is not based on any facts. Some people would like to eliminate all profit, and feel that profit is evil, but they generally like getting their own paycheck! My entire check is profit, meaning I get whatever is left after all other expenses have been paid and after everyone else has been paid. I care about giving quality and value, too (very much). I'm not just motivated by profit, but feel that profit is extremely important.
This is a dangerous notion, that profit is bad, or that someone else needs to control prices and profit.
Profits????
Providers do not profit. They receive fees. Their services need to be fairly reimbursed.
Investors in for-profit hospitals rely on profits. Investors have no other interest other than profits. Some investors in US for-profit hospitals reside outside our nation. They are part of the global investor class.
Ditto when it comes to for-profit pharmaceutical companies.
Double-ditto with for-profit insurers.
Health care is a human right. Human rights should not be subject to machinations committed by the medical industry complex!
Every person in the US can be covered for all medically-necessary care and ancillary services for far less than the $2.7 trillion that will be spent on US health "care" this year! The average family of four with decent insurance would save about 75% of what they currently spend each year. (An average of about $15,000, counting premiums, deductibles, and copays.)
Profits? We don't need no stinkin' profits! We need health care for all just like the grown-up countries have!
Your origins, contributors & mission
I just came across your site......think I heard about it on KPOJ the other morning? I work in Salem for a House Rep and so I forwarded your report to my home email. Very interesting so far. I will lurk a bit more and open up my purse in near future. Definitely need your reporting!
would like to remain anonymous.
Great work
I support your work and wished could help with some donation, however, I am currently unemployed and money is tight. Maybe I will be able to contribute in the future
Nadeem