the lund report

House Health Committee Votes 9-0 to Ban Tanning for Minors

Oregon has the highest death rate in the U.S. of melanoma among women, which has been linked to use of tanning beds
February 28, 2013 — Oregon may be cloudy much of the year, but that doesn’t prevent the state from having alarmingly high rates of skin cancer, particularly melanoma. Read More >>

Officials Hope to Curtail Rise of Insurance Costs Under ACA

Lawmakers and public officials are holding closed door meetings to create a state reinsurance program that would keep in tow exorbitant insurance increases next year
February 27, 2013 -- Concerns have been mounting by lawmakers and public officials that once the Affordable Care Act kicks in next January, those who purchase their own health insurance will face exorbitant prices. Read More >>

Tackling Tobacco: What Some CCOs are Doing to Break the Habit

The Lund Report spoke with several CCOs recently to find out how they’re planning to help their members stop smoking
February 26, 2013 -- The coordinated care organizations have been tasked with a daunting challenge – reducing the growth in Medicaid expenditures while also improving healthcare quality and access. Burden of Tobacco Among Medicaid Clients in Oregon. Read More >>

Oregon May Ask Voters to End Death Penalty

House Joint Resolution 1 had its first hearing before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, but no vote was taken. A repeal requires a ballot vote, and a similar measure was defeated last year in California.
February 27, 2013 — Oregon took its latest step in the long debate over capital punishment, as the House Judiciary Committee heard House Joint Resolution 1 that would change the aggravated murder law to state, “A sentence of death may not be imposed or executed.” Read More >>

House Bill 2522 Spells Out CCO Role for Chiropractors

The Oregon Chiropractic Organization would like a statutory role for chiropractors, naturopaths and nurse practitioners, but CCO representatives want to keep flexibility
February 26, 2013-- The organization representing chiropractors is pushing a bill that would require coordinated care organizations to consider them equal to medical doctors, but quickly ran into opposition. Read More >>

Local Governments May Get Option to Join OEBB and PEBB

HB 2279, backed by local governments and unions alike, would open up the self-insurance plans for teachers and state employees to those in local government, which face rising private health insurance costs
  February 26, 2013 — Legislation pushed by the unions would give local governments the option of offering their employees the health insurance benefits offered by the Public Employees Benefit Board and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board. Read More >>

Uninsured Charged Much More Depending on the Clinic

The prices for cataract surgery for an uninsured patient vary from $2,500 to more than $8,000 depending on whether the clinic is located in Bend, Portland or Salem
February 25, 2013 -- At 63 and self-employed, I'm too young for Medicare, I make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but I don't make nearly enough to afford an individual insurance policy. Read More >>

Regence Raises Portability Rates by 6.2 Percent

The insurer had requested a 9.2 percentage increase which was in violation of Oregon law, according to the Insurance Division
February 25, 2013 -- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon came away with a 6.2 percentage increase on its portability plans -- impacting 4,983 Oregonians – starting May 1. But not before the Oregon Insurance Division determined that Regence’s original request – 9.2 percent – ran afoul of Oregon law. Read More >>

Senate Bill Would Require More Use of School Clinics by CCOs

Coordinated care organizations already use school-based health centers in much of the state, but SB 436 would make their use statutory
  February 25, 2013 — Oregon’s healthcare delivery transformation has been rolled out so quickly that Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Bruce Goldberg still talks about the age of coordinated care organizations not in years or even months but in days. Read More >>

Kaiser Permanente plans to switch Clark County members from PeaceHealth to Legacy Salmon Creek

Facility will expand to provide acute care to Kaiser patients
February 21, 2013 -- For the past 15 years, Kaiser Permanente's 100,000 members in Clark County have sought non-emergency hospital care at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver. Read More >>
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