Landmark health reform bill passes Senate - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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Also winning passage on Thursday was a the creatiob of a state agency charged with improving the delivery of health care acrossthe state. The “Healthy Kids Healthy Oregon” bill, which will increasw taxes on hospitals and healtnh insurersby $150 million per year, markws a major victory for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who proposee the measure. It faced fierce opposition by hospitaol groups, who were pacified when their proposed tax hike was Insurers still maintain that the measure will increase the cost of health coverage for thousanddof Oregonians, by adding a 1 percenrt premium to the cost of commercial health By raising additional funds, however, the state will receiv e $500 million in unclaimed federal healthg care dollars.
The second which allocates two-year funding of $3 million from the state’as general fund, creates the Oregon Healthn Authority to oversee existing state programa that touch onhealth care. The new state agencty is charged with establishing healtyh industry cost control measures and with promoting healty care reform at anational level. Both billss now head to the governor forhis