Category Healthcare
Wyden, Merkley slam ‘baseless’ federal investigation into Oregon abortion coverage requirement
Oregon’s U.S. senators are calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to drop a “needless and wasteful” investigation into Oregon and other states that require health insurers to cover abortion.
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Providence Health Plans, one of Oregon’s largest insurers, is looking for a buyer
Providence Health Plans insures about 440,000 people across four western states, with the vast majority in Oregon. Company executives said they're "early" in the process of exploring a sale.
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Salem Health spent $162 million in 2024 on subsidized care, other community programs
New state data shows Salem’s only hospital spent more than state law requires on health care services benefitting the community in 2024. The bulk of the money went to cover costs for Oregon Health Plan patients.
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COLUMN: Low-income Medicare benefits you should know about
Jim Sellers, former Oregon journalist and state agency employee, writes a regular column to help thousands in Salem deal with the confusing world of Medicare and federal benefits. He's available to answer your questions.
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Health officials announce possible measles exposures at Salem Hospital ER, Kaiser Skyline clinic
People who were at the Salem Hospital emergency room on Monday, March 16, from 6:10 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. should advise a health care provider they may have been exposed to measles, the Oregon Health Authority said Thursday evening.
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Advocacy group wants to limit who’s admitted to the Oregon State Hospital and for how long
State health officials say they’ve made improvements in admitting criminal defendants deemed mentally ill, but a new law intended could complicate those efforts.
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Salem Health merger talks trigger concerns over insurance coverage
Hospital leaders have recognized coverage for Regence BlueCross BlueShield as a top concern among residents as Salem Health and Santiam Hospital & Clinics seek state approval for a merger. Executives from both systems addressed questions about the insurance, consolidation and hospital services during a Salem town hall Tuesday.
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Another top manager at Oregon State Hospital resigns
Dr. Morgyn Beckman, the state hospital’s director of forensic evaluation services, resigned on Feb. 19, citing an “exponentially increasing workload” due to a new law passed by the Oregon Legislature as well as “near constant scrutiny” on her unit due to federal court oversight of the hospital.
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Salem Health, Santiam Hospital host local town hall on merger
Salem Health and Santiam Hospital & Clinics will have a town hall about their proposed merger in Salem Tuesday, March 3, at 4:30 p.m at the Salem Public Library. People can submit questions for CEOs of both hospital systems ahead of the event.
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