Healthcare Digest 5/21: Will Oregon Lead the Way to Healthcare?

You guys know Oregon’s my home state, right? (Klamath Falls, REPRESENT!) (Actually, it was kind of a hell-hole and guess who has NO interest in returning for class reunions or a forgotten legacy left to me by an eccentric relative?) (Me.)

Anyway, much as it has paved the way in terms of things like Death with Dignity and Medical Marijuana, Oregon might be the future of American health care. (See also: the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, “the first randomized, controlled trial comparing Medicaid — or any kind of health insurance — with being uninsured.” Also: “Kitzhaber’s effort to rebuild the state’s Medicaid program around community health rather than individual fee-for-service treatments.”)

The article gives a good background into the fiscal challenge Oregon used to actually spark a LOT of interest in the ways in which Medicaid does and does not work. Now, Oregon is upping that ante: “In 2012, Kitzhaber struck an audacious deal with the Obama administration. If the federal government would give Oregon $1.9 billion to remake its Medicaid program, Oregon would put Medicaid on a tight budget, guaranteeing $11 billion in savings over the next decade. If the savings don’t materialize, the funds dry up and Oregon is left with a huge budget hole.”

Sure, Oregon has to go through life known as The Beaver State. But it’s a small price to pay for innovative thinking and progressive politics.

Tuesday’s Headlines

Strike Possibly Imminent at California Hospital: “Nearly 13,000 healthcare employees at five University of California medical centers plan to strike on Tuesday in a move that threatens to back up emergency rooms and already has forced the postponement of elective surgeries.” [Reuters]

Healthcare Regs on Parade!: “The Obama administration is moving forward with a pair of major Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations, as Republicans move to link the landmark law to the ongoing scandal at the Internal Revenue Service. [The Hill]

Personalized, Population-Based Healthcare: “We are going to see medical practice highly customized for each individual, using real time information and considering individual preferences and tastes.”[Venture Beat]

The Emerging Power of Emergency Room Healthcare: “Emergency departments (EDs) play an increasingly important role in U.S. healthcare by sorting through possible hospital admissions and supplementing the work of primary care doctors, according to a new study.” [The Hill]

How to Negotiate a Healthcare Bill: “Q: How can I find out how much local hospitals and doctors charge for different procedures? I hear their prices are all over the map.” [Patriot News]