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community
august3
2017
State Legislatures Makes Progress on Health Care continued from front page
at the start of the session, while ensuring that hundreds
of thousands of Oregonians would still have access
to Medicaid, even if the federal government made
changes to health care coverage. This tax package
includes a 0.7% tax increase to hospitals that will
generate $120 million in revenue, a new 4% tax on
rural hospitals expected to generate $90 million, and
a new intergovernmental transfer with Oregon Health
and Sciences University (OHSU) expected to generate
$105 million, along with other revenue sources from
insurance providers, together totaling almost $1 billion
dollars. “The Legislature found some creative ways to
make up that deficit,” said Lewis.
“What we did with the passage of this bill was
keep 350,000 Oregonians on the Oregon Health Plan,
our state’s Medicaid program,” said Johnson.
Senator Johnson noted that Representative
Julie Parrish from District 37, representing Tualatin/
West Linn is proposing a ballot measure, and is
currently circulating petitions and gathering signatures,
that would roll back these taxes and leave Oregon
in a bind. She encouraged citizens to watch for this
proposed ballot measure and make sure they understand
what they are signing or voting on. “If this happens we
will not be able to keep all those people insured in our
state,” said Johnson.
HB 3261 - Health Care Workforce Incentives
and Training, puts $21 million into a new fund that
will pay for and develop health care training programs
and also provide scholarships, and loan repayment and
forgiveness. It was one of several bills Senator Johnson
referenced as “complicated.” “This addresses the idea
that we need incentives in rural Oregon and nothing
tells that story better than the shifting sands under the
Vernonia Health Clinic,” explained Johnson. “This
showed that the Legislature did try to take positive steps
to keep incentives that are reasonable and appropriate
for general practitioners in rural places. This also did
identify that we need to know more about the health
care work force needs in Oregon in order to check the
provider incentive programs we put in place.”
“This (HB 3261), along with SB 178 and HB
2066 - the Rural Health Tax Credit which was extended,
are recruitment and retainment tools that are vitally
important in rural areas,” said Lewis.
Two bills that help rural communities and
received bi-partisan support were SB 485 – Medical
Practice Ownership, and HB 3439 – Medical Clinic
Ownership. SB 485 expands the rules around medical
practice ownership to allow someone other than a
physician to own the business. HB 3439 allows nurse
practitioners and physician assistants to own a clinic.
“That says that an entrepreneur may be able to bring a
clinic someplace and do good work, which in a place
like Vernonia or another isolated community could be
very good,” said Senator Johnson.
HB 2660 – Insurance Coverage for Breast
Cancer Patients, creates an educational campaign that
informs breast cancer patients about all the options
available to them. Currently federal law requires
insurance to cover any “medically necessary” follow up
treatments, whether a patient has that insurance benefit
or not, including breast reconstruction surgery, breast
prostheses and breast forms, and massage therapy
treatments for edema. The Oregon Women’s Health
and Wellness Alliance provided written testimony in
hearings on the issue and noted that despite federal
requirements, “70% of women who are eligible for
this are not informed of their care options.” Lewis
concurred with the testimony and said the bill “holds
insurance companies accountable.”
Johnson called
the passage of the bill “a no brainer.”
SB 860 – Mental Health Parity, ensures that
anyone with commercial insurance coverage will
receive mental health coverage as well. “If you receive
a diagnosis, then you are treated,” said Lewis.
Not all the bills that passed did so with bi-
partisan support. Senator Johnson termed SB 558 -
What’s Happening
at the Vernonia Library
Summer Reading
Summer readers can turn in reading
logs through Saturday, August 12
to enter prize drawings and earn a
ticket to the Oregon Zoo.
Upcoming Events
Friends of the Library
Jamboree Book Sale
Friday, August 4, 12 – 7 pm
Saturday, August 5, 9 am – 11 am
and 12 – 5 pm
Hardbacks $2, paperbacks $1. Wide
selection of non-fiction, fiction,
childrens books, and dvds. Enter
a raffle to win a $50 gift card to
McMenamins. All proceeds support
Library programs and services.
Book Discussion Group
Monday, August 28, 5:30 pm
Last Monday of every month, 5:30
pm. Book selection for August TBA.
Storytimes
Baby and Toddler Time
Mondays, 10:30 - 11:15 am
Songs, rhymes, books, toys, and
bubbles! For ages 0 - 3. Older
siblings welcome.
Preschool Storytime
Fridays, 10:30 - 11:15 am
Stories and a craft/activity for
children up through age 6.
No storytime on Monday, August 21,
Friday, August 4, Friday August 25
Summer Reading Party
Library Closure
Thursday, August 10, 6 pm
Ice cream, crafts, and activities.
Thank you for participating in
Summer Reading. Let’s celebrate!
Saturday, August 5.
Open for the Book sale only.
Family Movie Night
Thursday, August 24, 6 pm Title TBA.
Relax and enjoy a free movie and
popcorn at the Library.
Ongoing Programs
Writer’s Group
Thursday, August 17, 6-7:30 pm
3 rd Thursday of every month. For
writers with all levels of experience.
Opening at Noon on Monday,
August 21 in honor of the Total Solar
Eclipse. The Library still has Eclipse
Viewers available if you need some
for your family.
Library Hours & Contact
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 - 5
Tuesday, Thursday: 1 - 7
Saturday: 10 - 4
Closed Sundays
Phone: (503) 429-1818
E-mail: library@vernonia-or.gov
Cover All Kids, “very controversial” and said the bill
passed with votes strictly along party lines. The bill
expands health coverage to all children residing in
Oregon under the age of 19 who are below 300% of the
federal poverty level through federal Medicaid dollars
and the Children’s Health Care Program (CHIP) and
under the Oregon Health Plan, including an estimated
15,000 undocumented immigrant children. “This was
one of Governor Kate Brown’s highest priorities,” said
Senator Johnson. “Hospitals were generally supportive
of this, because, with people insured, when they present
at the hospital, the hospital will take care of them
whether they are from Mars or from Madras. There
is some hostility about this, but I think more people
figured out that it’s a good thing to have kids covered.”
HB 3391 – Reproductive Health Insurance
Mandate, was also very controversial according to
Senator Johnson. The bill will force health insurance
plans to cover women’s reproductive health services,
with no cost sharing, and includes birth control, prena-
tal and postpartum care, screenings for sexually trans-
mitted diseases, breastfeeding support and supplies and
counseling for domestic violence victims and for to-
bacco cessation. The bill became controversial when
abortions were included. Providence Health threatened
to withdraw from the Oregon Insurance Market, so
Providence was carved out of that requirement. “Most
people don’t realize that Oregon has been covering all
of these things all along,” explained Johnson. The bill
passed with votes almost straight along party lines.
Johnson encouraged voters to look at the
Oregon Legislative Information System’s (OLIS)
website for more detailed information about specific
bill: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1.
“I just want to thank our state legislators for
really watching out for Oregonians and our capacity for
accessing health care,” said Lewis. “They were very
responsive to what is happening at the federal level and
responded well to safeguard that for all Oregonians.”