Health News

The Oregon Health Fund Board on Monday unanimously adopted recommendations to overhaul the state's health care system and provide coverage to all state residents by 2019, the Oregonian reports. The plan recommends taxing hospitals and health insurers and using the money to extend coverage to the 100,000 uninsured children and about 100,000 low-income uninsured adults by 2013 (Colburn, Oregonian, 11/18). The taxes would generate an estimated $700 million over the next two years, which would be used to draw down more than $1 billion in federal matching funds.

The plan also would regulate hospital prices and insurance company administrative costs and would increase taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to fund mental health services and public education programs about chronic disease prevention. State and local governments and eventually private insurers would consolidate to create purchasing to negotiate better prices for prescription drugs, insurance and other services…