Legislative PAC

Updates from John McCulley, Executive Director

2/24/09

Legislature Faces Major Budget Challenges

As expected financial issues dominated the first part of the 2009 Legislative session. A week after the session began; lawmakers heard that the current biennial revenues could fall as much as $800 million short of meeting the state’s budgeted spending. And in addition, the 2009–11 budget could have a hole as large as $2 billion.

On the positive side, the newly approved federal stimulus bill could provide much needed relief, but is acknowledged by many as a short-term fix. A significant group of legislators wonders what will happen when the federal largesse ends and state spending is based on non–sustainable amounts. The decision makers are focused on the here and now for the moment.

OSHA specific legislation has taken various forms thus far this session. First are the bills related to state licensing boards. HB 2056 increases the number of public members on health regulatory boards. For the Board of Examiners for Speech Language Pathology and Audiology that mean elimination of one professional member, replacing that person with a member of the public. The bill is very troubling since the BESLPA already has well–balanced representation.

HB 2058 standardizes the operations of state licensing boards, giving the Governor the authority to appoint executive directors and the authority to remove board members. There does not appear to be significant opposition to this bill.

HB 2059 requires licensees to report prohibited conduct and has raised many questions about its effects and actual implementation.

HB 2345 requires licensing boards to develop a process for dealing with impaired professionals.

HB 2118 is the Governor’s approach to health regulatory reform, includes an impaired professionals section and is meeting with wider favor that the legislative proposals.

Issues that more directly affect OSHA members include HB 2589, requiring health benefit plans to provide coverage for hearing aids for enrollees under 18 years of age and HB 2610 that would expand the category of professionals who may use the term doctor.

Of course health care reform is a major focus of the session. HB 2009 is the reform bill that would establish a health authority board. The bill outlines how the board would operate and how the benefits would be funded. The funding is a key issue of contention where the hospitals and insurance providers claim they would face significant, non–reimbursed costs.

Here are some other bills of interest:

HB 2076 Creates tax on health care providers.

HB 2117 Creates Healthy Kids Plan, which includes private health option to provide affordable, accessible health care to children.

HB 2125 Requires Oregon Dept of Administrative Services to collect surcharge from state agencies to pay for services that Dept of Human Services provides through Oregon Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services Program.

HB 2347 Prohibits health professional regulatory board, DHS, Oregon Health Licensing Agency or board, advisory council or program overseen by Oregon Health Licensing Agency from assessing costs or attorney fees for disciplinary proceedings.

SB 11 Required specified health professional regulatory boards to collect information from licensees and report information to DHS for creation of healthcare workforce database.

SB 12 Provides tax credit for principal and interest payments on qualifying student loans made by health care practitioners serving medically underserved areas.

SB 24 Requires health benefit plan to provide coverage of medically necessary, evidence-based telemedical health service that meets specified criteria if health service is otherwise covered by plan.

SB 343 Removes limit on number of hours retired member may work and still qualify for retirement under Public Employees Retirement System if retired member is employed by school district or education service district as other than teacher or management employee, or by community college as other than faculty member or management employee.

SB 468 Requires health insurance reimbursement for telemedicine services.

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