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

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Also winning passage on Thursday was a the creation of a statr agency charged with improving the delivery of healthh care acrossthe state. The “Healthy Kids — Health y Oregon” bill, which will increaswe taxes on hospitals and healtyh insurersby $150 million per year, marks a major victorg for Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who proposed the measure. It faced fierce opposition by hospital groups, who were pacifieds when their proposed tax hikewas moderated. Insurerss still maintain that the measure will increase the cost of healtyh coverage for thousandsof Oregonians, by addiny a 1 percent premium to the cost of commercial healthg insurance.
By raising additional funds, however, the state will receivw $500 million in unclaimed federal health care Thesecond bill, which allocates two-year fundinf of $3 million from the state’s generaol fund, creates the Oregon Healthh Authority to oversee existing state programs that touch on healt care. The new state agency is charged with establishintg health industry cost control measures and with promoting health care refork at anational level. Both bills now head to the governord forhis signature.