Public comment so far has been mixed on whether state officials should approve the proposed absorption of Corvallis-based Samaritan Health Services by MultiCare, which operates 12 hospitals in Washington state.
The proposed deal would bring the dominant health care provider in Oregon’s central Willamette Valley under the wing of a much larger system that’s based in Tacoma. Leaders of the two health systems have told the state the deal is necessary to rescue Samaritan from its precarious financial condition and allow the system to stabilize and expand.
Samaritan operates five hospitals and employs more than 6,000 Oregonians. Under the proposed merger, MultiCare agrees to invest $700 million in the Oregon system over 10 years, as well as supply additional funding to back its health plans serving Medicaid and Medicare members…