MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2019
Baker City, Oregon
4A
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news@bakercityherald.com
EDITORIAL
Protecting
medical
consumers
Squabbling over health care in Congress is rou-
tine. But there is one issue where there is bipartisan
support: protecting consumers from surprise medical
bills.
Central and Eastern Oregon’s congressman, Rep.
Greg Walden, R-Hood River, deserves credit for lead-
ing a bipartisan bill with one possible solution that
would bring consumers relief.
It’s not hard to fi nd a story of someone who re-
ceived a surprise medical bill. There are some
nightmarish tales. The plot is usually similar. Some-
one has a medical emergency, gets treatment and is
surprised to learn the treatment is considered out-
of-network and not covered or only partially covered
by insurance. They get stuck with a big, unexpected
medical bill. About 20% who are treated in an emer-
gency room or admitted to a hospital end up being
treated by a doctor who is not in network, according
to some studies.
Walden has told the story of a mother, Sonji Wilkes,
who testifi ed before the Energy and Commerce
Committee. Walden is the Republican leader of that
committee. After her son was born, he had a medical
issue. He was transferred to the neonatal intensive
care unit 50 feet from where he was born. The hospi-
tal was in her network. But the hospital contracted
out the intensive care unit and it was not. She ended
up with a surprise bill for $50,000.
The debate in Congress has been how to fi x
problems like this. The consensus seems to be that
patients should not be billed for things insurance
will not cover. So then how are medical providers and
insurers supposed to agree on the price? Three varia-
tions are typically mentioned.
Should a fi xed out-of-network price be imposed in
some way? Some people don’t like the idea of gov-
ernment price setting. In Walden’s bill, though, the
benchmark payment for out-of-network surprise bills
would be — at least — the median in-network rate
for the service in that region.
Should an arbitrator be used to settle disagree-
ments over a set price? That has been criticized,
because it may drag out the process and gives a lot of
power to the arbitrator. It is the approach in Walden’s
bill — allowing parties to appeal a price. Should
providers be compelled to sign contracts ahead of
time — effectively guaranteeing that everything is
in network? That is criticized because government
would be forcing entities into contracts they may not
want.
The Oregon Hospital Association wrote Walden
earlier this year about his bill. One primary concern
was that any rate setting done at a national level
“would create disincentives for insurers and could
not take into account all of the variabilities between
individual markets to ensure adequate payment for
large urban health system and independent critical
access hospitals.”
We can’t say what approach is the right answer to
best protect patients and also take into consideration
the effects on providers and insurers. There may not
be a perfect one. But Congress needs to implement a
solution, and Walden should ensure the performance
of that choice is tracked.
Newspapers adjusting to change
Change is in the air. It’s not just the
falling temperatures or the return of
the school year. Within the walls of The
Observer and Baker City Herald, the
way we do business is being completely
turned on its head. I’d forgotten just
how hard — and rewarding — change
can be. We should know. We’re up to our
necks in it.
I wrote a column a few months back
describing to you the diffi cult fi nal
months of our newspaper operation
under our former owners, Western
Communications, and about our bright
new future with the EO Media Group.
Now, two months into the transition,
there’s more good news to share — and
some explaining to do.
One of the fi rst key initiatives after
our purchase by the EO Media Group
was to shepherd our newspapers out
of the proverbial media dark ages and
convert our operating systems. These
changes affect every facet of our opera-
tion — and I mean EVERY — from the
top down. Circulation and advertising
systems, the upcoming launch of a new,
easier-to-navigate and more dynamic
website and e-edition, improvements
to our social media platforms and so
much more are all in the works right
now.
It’s been an overwhelming and
exhausting process for the staff at both
newspapers. There have been hours
upon hours of training and trouble-
shooting. In the meantime, be patient
with us and accept my advanced
apology — if you call into the offi ce and
it sounds as though the department
you’re speaking with doesn’t have a
clue about what’s going on or sounds
overly fl ustered — that may indeed be
the case. I’m half kidding of course, but
for the next few weeks, the tasks and
requests that were second nature to us
will likely take us a few extra minutes.
Once the dust settles, the end result
will be better effi ciencies in our offi ce
and a better experience for subscribers
and advertisers.
It’s not just change for the sake of
change. The end goal is ultimately to
serve you better.
On top of this chaos, The Observer
KARRINE
BROGOITTI
is in the middle of a nationwide search
for a new editor. You may recall the exit
of our former editor, Cherise Kaechele,
in March. At that time, there was far
too much uncertainty and upheaval to
bring in a new editor. In the meantime,
our busy newsroom has been operating
with oversight from our sports editor,
Ronald Bond, and the invaluable as-
sistance of Baker City’s editor, Jayson
Jacoby, and Andrew Cutler, editor of
the East Oregonian and a former editor
of The Observer.
Once the purchase of The Observer
was fi nalized, seeking the right editor
was one of the fi rst orders of business
that I and our regional publisher, Chris
Rush, decided to tackle. I understand
the importance of this position to any
newspaper and the EO Media Group’s
commitment to award-winning com-
munity journalism. This valuable hire
is an important fi rst step to rebuilding
our newsroom, improving our news
coverage and re-establishing our place
as the news leader in our communities.
This is not a hire that I’m willing to
rush or that I take lightly. Our hard-
working newsroom and our valued
readers deserve the best that journal-
ism has to offer, regardless of the size
of our newspaper or the community it
serves.
As I’m sure you’ve heard through
the grapevine, or perhaps straight
from the horse’s mouth, The Observer
offi ce is going to be moving, and we are
beginning to explore larger offi ce space
options for the Baker City Herald’s
operations. On any given day, we fi eld
several inquiries from customers who
are curious about the progress of our
relocations. Allow me to share what I
can.
The truth is, The Observer’s current
location is just far more space than we
need. With the removal of the press
and the machinery responsible for
inserting preprints, we are living in
a quarter of the space available to us,
and we’re anxious for a fresh start in
a new home. Baker City’s challenge is
exactly the opposite — the current of-
fi ce is far too small for its needs and the
confi guration is less than ideal.
It’s been an exhaustive search look-
ing for potential offi ce spaces for both
locations. I went into this believing that
fi nding the “perfect” locations to set up
shop would be a pretty easy task. I was
sadly mistaken.
Our business model is unique and
we have very specifi c needs. Our
functionality is much different than
the average business offi ce and I’m
constantly looking for effi ciencies to
make what we do easier on staff and
our customers. The way in which an
offi ce fl ows plays a big role in making
that goal achievable. As with the hiring
of an editor, choosing the next home
for The Observer (and the Baker City
Herald, in the future) is an important
decision for myself and for our new
company. There’s a list of things that
my employees deserve out of our new
spaces and this is a chance to make
those a reality. It’s also an opportunity
to make a statement to our readership
about the health and vitality of our
newspapers and the EO Media Group’s
commitment to investing in our future
and our communities.
The Observer and Baker City Herald
are taking full advantage of the new
resources and tools being offered to
us. I can happily report that — for the
most part — you can teach an old dog
new tricks. We are still overwhelmed,
not with the worry and uncertainty
for our future, but by the outpouring
of support from you, the readers, and
from the EO Media Group.
I’m being reminded daily of the
growing pains that naturally come
along with progress. And there will
be plenty more to come in the next
few months as we look ahead to other,
exciting changes on the horizon.
Now, does anyone have an aspirin
they can spare?
Karrine Brogoitti is the publisher for the
Baker City Herald and The Observer in
La Grande.
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Mail: To the Editor, Baker City Herald,
P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814
Email: news@bakercityherald.com
Fax: 541-523-6426
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Donald Trump: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1414; fax 202-456-2461; to
send comments, go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce: 313 Hart Senate Offi ce
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Pendleton offi ce: 310 S.E. Second St. Suite 105,
Pendleton 97801; 541-278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (2nd District): D.C. offi ce: 2182 Rayburn
Offi ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-
225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@
ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information
are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., S-301, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. District offi ce:
P.O. Box 1027, Ontario, OR 97914; 541-889-8866.
State Rep. Lynn Findley (R-Vale): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City,
OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets
the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Mike Downing, Loran Joseph, Randy Schiewe, Lynette Perry,
Arvid Andersen, Ken Gross and Doni Bruland.