Nick Budnick and Jake Thomas

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Decades-old Oregon health care cost-control program will continue — for now

Concerns from care organizations and providers have derailed an agency push to kill a program that engages in public, evidence-based rationing of Oregon Health Plan services, kicking it to a task force instead

Apr 10
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PeaceHealth, Vancouver - Medical Center Physician's Building. | COURTESY PEACEHEALTH

Major Vancouver mental health provider furloughs 112 workers, will continue methadone treatment

Officials are scrambling to respond after Columbia River Mental Health Services, a mainstay of Clark County's behavioral health system, issued a surprise announcement of clinic closures and a financial crisis Monday. A leader says methadone treatment will continue to prevent sudden withdrawal for 800 clients.

Mar 26
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A white board in a hallway inside the Oregon State Hospital in November 2023. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Judge overseeing state hospital case demands answers as contempt order looms

The state's failure to provide adequate mental health treatment is having ripple effects around the state and causing civil rights violations. U.S. District Judge Adrienne Nelson wants to know specifically what is being done to fix things.

Jan 23
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Morgan Cowling (right), the outgoing executive director of the Universal Health Plan Governance Board, reads from a document during the panel's first meeting in April 2024. Jennifer Donovan (left), a senior policy advisor, will serve as interim executive director after Cowling resigned. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Top staffer to Oregon's universal health care board resigns

Nine months after its launch the new state board tasked with crafting a plan for universal health care in Oregon needs to replace its top staffer

Jan 16
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The west plaza at Oregon State Hospital in Salem. | COURTESY OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Judge may extend discharge deadlines for Oregon State Hospital patients

Much-criticized court order is no longer doing enough to ease the state's problem with lack of psychiatric beds, but supporters say it's better than nothing as the state continues to regularly violate a decades- old civil rights ruling

Dec 17, 2024
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Oregon House Majority Leader Ben Bowman speaks about his efforts to curb what critics call the "corporatization of medicine" at the Oregon Health Forum on Oct. 16, 2024, in Portland. To his left is Brian Kelly, CEO of Women’s Healthcare Associates. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

Uneven playing field pushes independent docs to corporate medicine, Oregon panel says

With lawmakers expected to take up legislation that’s being watched across the country, experts detailed a complicated picture

Oct 17, 2024
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OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY

Continuing ONE benefit eligibility flubs primarily stemmed from human error, auditors say

A new look at the state’s historically troubled $416 million eligibility system found that enrollment and benefit errors during the pandemic largely were not the fault of its automated processes, providing counterpoint to the state's earlier record in costly IT projects

Oct 10, 2024
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Gov. Tina Kotek speaks to reporters at a press event in April 2023 in Salem. | JAKE THOMAS/THE LUND REPORT

New records detail Aimee Kotek Wilson’s involvement in Oregon Health Authority affairs

Governor’s spouse was part of ‘team’ working on behavioral health, emails show. Supporters fear governor’s handling of the situation could spark backlash.

May 16, 2024
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