Landmark health reform bill passes Senate - Portland Business Journal:

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Also winning passage on Thursdah was a the creation of a state agencg charged with improving the delivery of healtbh care acrossthe state. The “Healthyt Kids — Healthy Oregon” bill, which will increase taxes on hospitalsd and health insurersby $150 million per year, marks a major victory for Gov. Ted who proposed the measure. It faced fierce oppositiomn byhospital groups, who were pacified when their proposed tax hike was Insurers still maintain that the measur e will increase the cost of health coverage for thousand s of Oregonians, by adding a 1 percent premiumk to the cost of commercial health insurance.
By raisingh additional funds, however, the state will receiver $500 million in unclaimed federal healthncare dollars. The second which allocates two-year funding of $3 million from the state’xs general fund, creates the Oregon Health Authority to oversewe existing state programs that touch onhealth care. The new statd agency is charged with establishing healtu industry cost control measures and with promoting healtbh care reform at a national Both bills now head to the governor forhis