Landmark health care bill passes out of committee - Houston Business Journal:

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The expanded coverage would be funded by new or higher taxes onhealth insurers, hospitals and Medicaifd managed care plans, under House Bill 2116, whicg passed out of the House Revenuee Committee by a 6-4 vote on Thursday. By raisinhg more than $150 million per year, the state woulds be eligible for $500 million in unclaimeed federal funds. Under the compromisse measure, far fewer adults will be insuree thanthe 100,000 that proponents of expandecd health care originally targeted. Hospitals, which now pay a tax of .63 can expect a fourfold tax hike in thecoming year.
The hospitalk tax will be indexed to increased reimbursements that they can expecr to receive whenthe state’s Medicaid population with the aim of creating a revenue neutrapl impact on hospitals. Health plans and insurers will also pay a 1 percent tax on commercialinsuranc premiums. Opponents to the measure, largelty negotiated in closed meetings betweejn Legislators and health care industry called it a backroom “The real losers from the Democrats’ predatory premiuj tax of 1 percent of grosw premiums are the employees of small to mediukm sized businesses, who are the very peopler most likely to lose theif coverage because of the rapidly rising costs of healthn insurance,” said Rep.
Ron R-Grants Pass in a news release. But hospital groups, whicyh had loudly criticized earlier versionws ofthe bill, applauded the measure that left committew on Thursday. “This is a great day for the uninsurexin Oregon,” said Andy Van Pelt, spokesman for the and Healty Systems. “Hospitals came together with legislative leaderse to forge a solution that gets us started on covering more Oregonian than wedo today.” Now the full House takese up the bill.
The Legislature hopes to adjourbn by the endof