An Oregon program set up 30 years ago to control health care costs will continue for now, as a push by the Oregon Health Authority to phase out the program has stalled in the face of opposition.
Agency leadership had backed legislation, House Bill 4003, that critics say would have substantially removed the authority of a commission of appointed experts that has overseen what types of care and services are paid for by the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan for lower-income people. For close to 30 years, the Health Evidence Review Commission has considered research while taking testimony in public hearings to lay out approved services in a so-called prioritized list.
The program has been central to the Oregon Health Plan’s system of managed care in which insurers and nonprofits oversee spending, as well as provider networks, in regions across the state. The bill would have made significant changes to state law, changes that led to opposition…