Dr. Bruce Goldberg

Dr. Bruce Goldberg, director of the Oregon Health Authority, visits the Salem Statesman-Journal

June 7th Update
SB 99A passed the Oregon House today. Having passed the Senate on April 25, it now awaits the Governor’s signature. You can read a report in the Salem Statesman-Journal.

The major questions being debated were:

  • should employees of insurers and/or health care providers be allowed on the governance (board) of the Exchange corporation; and
  • to what extent can the Exchange use its leverage to bring down the cost of insurance premiums?

The bill’s economic impact will have further discusion next year, as it requires that a business plan to be brought to legislators in 2012 for approval.

We support Oregon creating the opportunity to build its own health insurance marketplace and information center. It’s simple – Oregon wants to define its own Health Insurance Exchange and that means we want it to have a strong board, with a clear purpose, accountability and authority to actually do what it’s set up to do.

[fancy_titled_box title=”Track this Bill”]» The Oregonian’s SB 99 Bill-Tracking Page
» Text of current bill version (SB 99-A)[/fancy_titled_box]

Learn
It feels familiar. Whenever we move from ideas to politics things can get confusing in a hurry. Oregon, led by the Oregon Health Policy Board recommendations, has chosen to create a state-based Health Insurance Exchange instead of having the Feds come in and create an exchange. Senate Bill 99 that would create the organization – in this case a not-for-profit, state-chartered public corporation – along with the governance and rules for that corporation which will set up and run a Health Insurance Exchange. But since the corporation’s proposed name is the same as the thing it will be overseeing (the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange) public input on the bill and its amendments are all over the place.

We should care about who the corporation is accountable to, who will sit on the corporation’s board, and what the framework is for the corporation to take actions. We want a corporation that is able to leverage change in the cost of insurance, but also what gets covered and how services are delivered. Leverage to transform the health system, that’s what we’re after.

We don’t want to be so prescriptive that we unintentionally tie the corporation’s hands in statute, but we also don’t want to be unclear on its purpose. We want it to have enough authority to make the changes we want to see. That’s a fine line to identify, but that’s what we’re asking of legislators.

Also, read Peter Wong’s April 17th article, “Oregon bill would allow health care ‘exchanges’” in the Salem Statesman-Journal. Included is a video of their editorial board’s meeting with Dr. Bruce Goldberg, director of the Oregon Health Authority; Mike Bonetto, health policy advisor to Gov. Kitzhaber; and the Oregon Health Authority’s communications director, Patty Wentz.

» Watch a video conversation on the insurance exchange with staff members from the Oregon Health Authority

» Watch a short conversation with Mike Bonetto and Bruce Goldberg on, “How can the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange improve health equities?