The Public Employees' Benefit Board (PEBB) recently voted on health insurance providers for state employees. This vote eliminated Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BC/BS) as a health coverage provider for state employees in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. The other 33 counties in Oregon still have the BC/BS option. Benton County is the home of Oregon State University (OSU) and this move by PEBB, eliminating BC/BS as a choice has the University community concerned. You can see the plans here:
http://pebb.das.state.or.us/DAS/PEBB/announcement.shtml
Samaritan Health Services, essentially, has no track record for providing health coverage and only a handful of affiliated doctors. To their credit, they have issued a press release asking PEBB to include BC/BS.
More below.
The OSU community has met several times with PEBB members to voice concerns about this issue. They are succeeding wonderfully and hopefully BC/BS will be a choice as health coverage provider. Samaritan may have a great plan, I don't know because there is no information about it. PEBB's lack of communication about this voting process has been poor. Only now that concerns are being raised by the OSU community are they letting out information concerning this issue, and slowly.
This is the OSU position as conveyed (email) to me by OSU:
-Addition of Regence BC/BS as plan option is required; and
- The process to resolve this problem and re-institute BC/BS as an option must be expedited.
This is my first diary and is basically constructed from frustration. A couple of things I find interesting about this situation. The following is from the same email I received as someone that is affected by this situation.
David Hartwig from PEBB stated that PEBB is sensitive to what they are hearing from consumers. Mr. Hartwig provided an overview of the rationale for the PEBB VISION (See the PEBB web site - http://pebb.das.state.or.us/) and the process the Board is taking to implement that vision. He noted that there has been some frustrations experienced by PEBB in recent years and the response is the Vision. PEBB's goal is to adjust the system of delivery since current practices are unsustainable due to cost increases and the lack of competition. In an effort to address these concerns, PEBB released an extensive RFP emphasizing a "medical home," transparency, partnerships, and accessible information systems. The bottom line is to develop partnerships that would formalize and implement the Vision to change the healthcare delivery system.
Emphasis mine. Did Mr. Hartwig seriously say that? Apparently, which is sad, because complaining about lack of competition after you eliminate competition is well just sad.
State Senator for District 8 is Frank Morse (R-Albany) http://www.leg.state.or.us/morse/. I hear he is a nice man and that is fine and well. However, Sen. Morse represents the District where BC/BS has been eliminated as a choice for health coverage. Now the interesting part, Sen. Morse is Chairman of the Samaritan Health Services Board. See for yourself here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/morse/ click on biography.
I am not accusing Sen. Morse of anything. I just find it interesting.
Update [2005-7-22 18:50:53 by evilchemistry]: Sen. Morse talks about the PEBB issue in his weekly newsletter.
RE: PEBB HEALTH CONTRACTS FOR BENTON, LINCOLN AND LINN COUNTIES
I would like to express appreciation for the many emails and phone calls I have received regarding the PEBB decision to award the health care contracts for Benton, Lincoln and Linn Counties to Samaritan Health Services and Kaiser. The correspondence I have received has universally expressed dissatisfaction with the exclusion of Regence/Blue Cross/Blue Shield as a third party provider.
Many are aware of the long standing role I have played in governance of Samaritan Health Services and the Samaritan Albany General Hospital. As a board member and past Chair of both the parent SHS organization and SAGH, and as a State Senator representing the many public employees who have been affected by the PEBB decision, I have been placed in a difficult position. One the one hand, criticism has arisen that I have not been representing constituents. On the other hand, I have a role as a Board member of SHS to represent our local hospital. There are different ways to address this issue. The one I have purposefully chosen is not to publicly engage this problem with a letter to the Governor and PEBB, but have chosen to work behind the scenes to find a resolution acceptable to public employees and all parties involved.
I believe a successful resolution will be quickly forthcoming. As of this moment, it would be premature for me to make any further comments. But please know that I have the interests of public employees at heart and have been working to influence a decision that serves the interests of all concerned.
To me, these are weasel words. He was elected by the people, they must come first. Sen. Morse you now have a serious credibility problem, IMO, hopefully others too.