Tag: health insurance Oregon

Health insurance research shows coverage and being healthy are not the same

H. Cutner
Health Insurance benefits

The Oregon Health Experiment has demonstrated that even people with a plan get sick and die. A study about the relationship between health insurance coverage and actually being healthy was conducted in Oregon and showed that having a plan doesn’t necessarily guarantee wellness. The project was lead by Amy Finkelstein, from MIT, and showed that the two are not the same. Called the Oregon Health Experiment, the research indicated that while some people who have coverage live long and healthy lives, others get sick and die. It also determined that…

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Oregon Legislature convenes to determine the course for the last days of the legislative session of February

Marc

February is quickly coming to an end, but the Oregon Legislature still has much to discuss. State lawmakers met in the city of Salem this week to map out their plans for what remains of this month’s legislative session. The topics that will receive their attention in these latter days are education initiatives, construction bonds, logging and use of water, and the state’s plans to build its own health insurance exchange. Notably, Governor John Kitzhaber’s plans to reform the state’s Medicaid program have been cut from the current session. Though…

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Federal leeway on insurance benefits may push back plans for a health insurance exchange in Oregon

Marc

Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced that it would allow states to take control of the benefits they offer to consumers through their health insurance exchange program. While hailed as a major boon for states, the added leeway may push back efforts to form an exchange, such is the case in Oregon, where legislators have delayed current plans to further investigate how an exchange will affect the state’s insurance industry and its consumers. Director of the Oregon insurance exchange Howard “Rocky” King claims that the exchange could extend coverage to…

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Oregon’s Regence Group draws the attention of regulators from four states

Oregon insurance regulators have set their sights of the Regence Group, which is part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance group. Mike Kreidler, the state’s Insurance Commissioner, has accused the insurance company of several severe failures that have impacted the lives of thousands of policyholder and even people that are not affiliated with the company in any way. The violations are so serious that Kreidler has issued an order for the company to draft a plan to correct the issues, which is due by the end of this month.…

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Oregon health insurance rates on the rise

S.Vagus

Health insurance providers in Oregon have been seeking approval for rate increases for nearly a year. Some may be getting their wish, but will not be able to raise rates as much as they had originally planned. The Oregon Insurance Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services has granted approval for half of the rate proposals they have been reviewing over the past year. While many companies will not see the increases they had hoped for, consumers stand to save more money on their policies. The Division approved…

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