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August 26, 2024
Greetings fellow Bethel neighbors. My name is Eric Dziura and I am the Treasurer of our Active Bethel Community neighborhood association.
This is an update about the activities of the Eugene Healthcare Coalition (EHC) and related matters. As you may recall the ABC executive board voted to join the coalition a few months ago. I'm ABC's representative to the coalition.
As a reminder, the EHC mission statement reads, in part:
“We maintain that Eugene and neighboring communities would benefit from a publicly funded hospital that serves the region. We believe that working towards this goal through education and advocacy will create a pathway in which we, as a community, have agency over how our medical needs are met now and for the long-term benefit of all residents of Eugene and Lane County.”
Next up: a sample of the information the coalition has gathered, summarized briefly.
1. In May, 2024 The Oregonian published an article about Optum, a large corporate healthcare company owned by UnitedHealth Group, which is itself a large multinational healthcare company. That was sparked by Optum’s purchase of Eugene’s Oregon Medical Group, and detailed concerns expressed by OMG staff, patients and a host of local lawmakers. Interestingly, the article also mentions the Health Care Market Oversight Program administered by the Oregon Health Authority, whose responsibility it is to review acquisitions of this nature. OHA has approved several acquisitions by Optum.
2. A July, 2024 article from STAT (international medical journalism company) extensively detailed the business practices of United Health Group (mentioned above). UHG’s total revenue in 2023 was $372 billion, more than Berkshire Hathaway, Alphabet, Costco. Another article published in the New England Journal of medicine outlined UHG's penetration into the Medicare Advantage market and suggests that the resulting consolidation leads to business practices which adversely affect both patients and healthcare providers.
3. In May, 2024, an article appeared in Health Affairs, coauthored by a Eugene resident, entitled Lessons From Oregon’s Attempt To Strengthen The 'Corporate Practice Of Medicine' Ban. During the Oregon legislature’s short session earlier this year, a bill (HB4130) which “…was the most comprehensive legislative attempt to date to regulate physician practice ownership by private equity investors and national health care conglomerates” came close to passage. This article was an excellent summary of the pros and cons of a legislative solution to the problem of corporate takeover of our system of health care.
…and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
I will conclude by mentioning just two of the initiatives undertaken by the EHC.
1. It turns out that the Oregon law governing the formation of special districts (think fire districts, sewer districts, water districts etc.) allows for the formation of healthcare districts. There are currently 10 or 11 healthcare special districts in operation in Oregon mostly serving smaller communities. EHC is looking into the feasibility of establishing the health care district in Lane County.
2. It also turns out that the Churchill Area Neighbors association is hosting a citywide health care forum on September 26th at the Willamette Christian Center. You can find more information about the forum in our September ABC newsletter. The format will be Q&A with the panelists:
Speaker of the House Julie Fahey
Representative Nancy Nathanson
Dr. Philip Capp, Executive Medical Director of Optum OR
Eve Gray, Director of Lane County H&HS
Dr. Jeanne Savage, Chief Medical Officer of Trillium Community Health Plan
Dr. Nicholas Jones, Founder of Clear Health DPC
Rev. Deleesa Meashintubby, Executive Director of Volunteers In Medicine
Dr. James McGovern, Chief Hospital Executive of PeaceHealth
Members of the EHC will attend the forum and be eager participants . Note: CAN is considering joining the EHC.
Happy Labor Day!
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