Landmark health care bill passes out of committee - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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The expanded coverage would be funded by new or higherf taxes onhealth insurers, hospitals and Medicaifd managed care plans, under Housde Bill 2116, which passed out of the Housew Revenue Committee by a 6-4 vote on By raising more than $150 million per year, the statre would be eligible for $500 million in unclaimede federal funds. Under the compromise measure, far fewer adultsx will be insured thanthe 100,000 that proponents of expanded healt care originally targeted. Hospitals, which now pay a tax of .
63 can expect a fourfold tax hike in the coming The hospital tax will be indexex to increased reimbursements that they can expec t to receive whenthe state’s Medicaid populationh grows, with the aim of creatingy a revenue neutral impact on hospitals. Health plands and insurers will also pay a 1 percent tax on commercialinsurance premiums. Opponents to the largely negotiated in closed meetings between Legislatorz and health careindustry groups, callerd it a back room deal.
“Thde real losers from the Democrats’ predatory premiujm tax of 1 percent of gross premiums are the employees of smalpl to mediumsized businesses, who are the very peopl e most likely to lose their coverage becauser of the rapidly rising costs of healthn insurance,” said Rep. Ron Maurer, R-Grantx Pass in a news release. But hospital groups, which had loudly criticizecd earlier versions ofthe bill, applauded the measured that left committee on Thursday. “Thia is a great day for the uninsuredrin Oregon,” said Andy Van spokesman for the and Health Systems.
“Hospitals came togethedr with legislative leaders to forge a solution that gets us startecd on covering more Oregonians than wedo today.” Now the full Housed takes up the bill. The Legislature hopes to adjourn by the endof