What is Medicare Advantage?
Medicare Advantage, also known as Medicare Part C, has become more and more popular as an alternative to traditional Medicare. As of 2022, 48% of Medicare users had a Medicare Advantage plan. This is an increase from 22% in 2008.
What is the difference between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare? How do Medicare Advantage insurers profit off our confusion? How do I know what kind of Medicare plan is right for me?
Consequences of the Optum/Corvallis Clinic March 2024 Merger
House Bill 2362 was passed through the Oregon legislature and signed into law by Governor Kate Brown in 2021. This new law created the Health Care Market Oversight Program (HCMO), which oversees all health care mergers, acquisitions, and consolidation transactions in Oregon. HCMO evaluated a proposed transaction between the Corvallis Clinic and Optum Oregon. READ MORE
What’s Wrong with ACOs?
Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are part of a pilot program, designed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), with the express goal of identifying approaches that reduce costs or improve quality of care. Our investigations show that instead, for-profit ACOs take public money intended for Medicare beneficiaries and funnel it to their investors without showing any measurable improvement in quality of care. Here are the facts:
SB 1089 Governance Board Nominations!
The Universal Health Care Governance Board established by the passage of Senate Bill 1089 (SB 1089) has nominated its members! The nine nominees are listed in-full in this post. The confirmation hearing is scheduled for February 6th, time TBA.
Medicaid, Medicare, and Our Ailing Healthcare System
On January 13, 2024, there was a Town Hall originating from Corvallis, Oregon on “Medicaid, Medicare, and Our Ailing Healthcare System. How this Affects Our Hospitals, Patients, and Providers.”
Privatization Is The Prime Suspect: Open Letter to President Biden and Senators Wyden and Merkley
I am a retired radiation oncologist from Corvallis, Oregon. I met too many patients who delayed care because of cost. They would delay months and then end up in the emergency room with advanced cancers. A 2022 Gallup poll showed that 38% of Americans delayed care because of cost. Why? Privatization is the prime suspect.
A Doctor’s Word On The Corvallis Clinic/Optum Oregon MSO Merger
I am Bruce Thomson, MD retired from private medical practice, and I am opposed to the current proposed merger of the Corvallis Clinic with Optum Oregon MSO. I am an advocate for the state of Oregon living up to the recent amendment of Oregon constitution, as voted on by the voters in Oregon in 2022, regarding access to affordable equitable health care for all in Oregon.
Requirements for the Universal Health Plan Governance Board
With the passage of SB 1089, a governance board will be established to create a plan for universal health care in Oregon. Here are the requirements for board membership.
Care Oregon Merger?
Thoughts from Mid-Valley Advocates on the Care Oregon Merger and questions that need to be answered.
Does New Zealand Have Free Healthcare?
New Zealand has a universal health care system that any citizen can use, regardless of their ability to pay. Services covered include inpatient, outpatient, mental health, and long-term care, as well as prescription drugs. General taxes finance most services.
This is Bettina Schempf’s (Benton County, OR) experience with this fair and efficient national healthcare system.
Does Universal Health Care Work Well in Other Countries? A testimonial.
Have you ever wondered what universal health care was like in Canada and how people pay for it? Mid-Valley Health Care Advocates (MVHCA) member, Bobbie Hall, shares her positive experience with the country’s health care system and how she paid for it.
Is Universal Healthcare Socialism?
No. Universal healthcare is not socialism. For decades developed capitalist countries around the world have had universal health care. These countries consider universal health care necessary for a healthy economy and population. Places like Australia, Japan, and Canada all have universal health care. But they are capitalist economies. The US is one of the few developed, capitalist countries without universal health care.