Medicaid

Oregon’s senior senator addressed a variety of topics from rural healthcare to reforms that he hopes will happen later this year.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has launched a new statewide effort to stabilize maternity care as more rural hospitals struggle to keep labor and delivery units open. The governor is directing $25 million of General Funds to support hospitals that provide maternity services.

State officials said they were pleased with the award, which comes as Oregon braces for billions in Medicaid cuts over the coming decade.

Springfield-based PacificSource has begun layoffs of about 300 people, or roughly one-sixth of its workforce, a spokesperson confirmed last Friday. The layoffs follow a round of 56 layoffs reported last month.

The Oregon Health Authority will soon start the process to search for a new insurance provider for more than 90,000 low-income Lane County PacificSource members. The agency must decide whether to allow a new insurer to move in, or let the remaining company, Trillium Community Health, take over health coverage for low-income residents.

The three members of Oregon’s congressional delegation heard about how federal cuts will affect Oregon healthcare providers.

The Virginia Garcia clinic offers vital care to low-income residents, but President Donald Trump’s budget bill, with cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, could derail its progress.

A new report from the Hospital Association of Oregon shows half of all hospitals in the state are in the red again, raising the stakes if the U.S. Congress makes cuts to federal benefit programs.

As Congress works on a budget that could potentially see cuts to Medicaid, community health centers in Lane County have urged Medicaid patients to continue seeking care.

Four states now allow government-run insurance programs to cover Native American healing practices.

Oregon’s protections for gender-affirming care, abortion and access for people who are noncitizens could face tests under a president-elect who gave mixed signals on the campaign trail

The errors had little effect during the public health emergency, but could impact benefits now