Salem daycare suspension sparks Pot Debate

SALEM -- The state of Oregon has suspended the license of a daycare in Salem because the manager and other staff members smoke pot at the facility while children are on-site. Parents who take their kids to day care centers and schools in Portland are now asking questions. It was hard for KGW to find anyone who said smoking pot at a day care is a good idea, whether it's medicinal or not. And every expert said trust is the biggest key for parents. The state has set up a resource for parents to check every licensed and registered daycare in Oregon, through Oregon.gov. There you can check for possible violations, complaints, active licensing and employees. The state encourages parents to call 503-556-6616 with additional questions.
www.kgw.com/news/Medical-pot-at-Salem-day-care-spa....html

Cover Oregon's transition to federal exchange rated 'high risk' for Failure!!

A report by independent quality-assessment contractor Maximus found that Cover Oregon’s attempt to transition to the federal exchange is at a high risk of failure, and for many of the same reasons that forced the transition in the first place. The reporting period runs through the end of April, and Maximus found that even then Cover Oregon needed to quickly hire a"systems integrator” (SI) to manage the transfer to the federal exchange. Maximus emphasized that delay in hiring a systems integrator could jeopardize enrollments for next year. Nine other companies are also in the running for the contract, which Cover Oregon estimates will be for $30-$35 million.
A recent estimate found that 80,000 people who enrolled through Cover Oregon this year will have to re-enroll through the federal exchange next year. over Oregon still has not hired a systems integrator, however, nearly two months after that warning. It first posted official notice that it was looking for one on May 26. Documents obtained by the On Your Side Investigators show a decision is due Monday. Documents obtained by the On Your Side Investigators show a decision is due Monday.
www.katu.com/news/investigators/Cover-Oregons-tran....html

Daycare managers do bong hits with kids at Their Day Care Center!!

Kathleen Hynes, the legal and compliance manager for the Office of Child Care, who has the power to pull the daycare’s license, told KOIN 6 News she didn’t"have that information” if it was legal to smoke pot with a medical marijuana card around kids at the daycare. But an investigation had not started until KOIN 6 News alerted them. But after seeing the KOIN 6 News video showing Araujo and Jaeger smoking, Hynes launched the investigation. The next day, the license for the Alphabet Academy Learning Center was suspended, according to Hynes and Gene Evans with DHS. Araujo and Jaeger agreed to speak with KOIN 6 News and said they both have medical marijuana cards.
koin.com/2014/06/30/daycare-managers-do-bong-hits-...earby

Sick Teen Ordered Into Foster Care Defends Mom on Facebook

A Kansas City teenager suffering from a painful disease posted a Facebook video expressing support for his mother after he was placed into protective custody.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sick-teen-ordered-fos...40966

Legislators OK Hiring 113 Child Welfare Workers At DHS

Oregon legislators on Friday approved hiring 113 child welfare workers, an effort they said is needed to help prevent abuses such as those that recently came to light."What is going on there is a direct result of a lack of funding,” said Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford."There were such huge caseloads that there was no way in the world they could follow what is going on properly in some areas.” Bates was referirng to recent lawsuits filed against the Department of Human Services for negligence. The state budget includes $10.7 million more from the tax-supported general fund, and $20.4 million more overall, for 113 more child-welfare positions. That’s about 85 full-time workers, according to a budget report. Erin Kelly-Siel from the DHS did not respond to a request for comment on those numbers Friday.
There are approximately 8,700 Oregon children in foster care and each one spends about 457 days in foster care, according to DHS’ website.
www.opb.org/news/article/legislators-ok-hiring-113...t-dhs

Programs Aim At Keeping Kids In Stable Homes

The reason most of these children are in foster care is because their parents are drug addicts. I like to try the simplest solution first. Let's keep these illegal drugs out of Oregon which is actually easy to do and costs a whole lot less than to keep expanding the Department of Human Services (DHS). First step is to keep from giving these cartel members Oregon Drivers Licenses. Kids in Oregon are twice as likely as children nationwide to be placed in foster care. And child advocates say that’s a problem. Mainly because national statistics on the success of foster kids aren’t good — a quarter have been homeless at least once by age 23, and almost half have been on food stamps by the same age. This spring, there was an opening celebration at Bridge Meadows in Portland. It’s a new housing complex where families pay less rent if they agree to adopt three children. And older people, like Linda Komanecky, also move in nearby. They also get a reduction in rent if they agree to volunteer at least 10 hours a week helping adoptive families.
www.opb.org/news/article/programs-aim-keeping-kids...homes

Pharmacists in politics

State legislators with pharmacy backgrounds shape health care policy
Although no pharmacists are in Congress, 46 pharmacists currently serve in state legislatures across the country. The November elections may bring as many as 12 new pharmacists to their state legislature; 6 pharmacists are running in 4 of the 25 states now without pharmacist legislators.
Of those pharmacists now in office, some had served in government or leadership positions related to pharmacy before their election—state boards of pharmacy, various pharmacy-related committees, and similar groups. Others, however, were new to leadership when elected. A majority, 36, are Republicans; 10 are Democrats.
www.pharmacist.com/pharmacists-politics-0

Heroin use rises in Oregon, mirrors national trend

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Some states, including Oregon, are reporting a rise in heroin use as many addicts shift from more costly and harder-to-get prescription opiates to this cheaper alternative. In the early 2000s, Oregon's problems with heroin use were well-documented. Heroin overdoses in the Portland, Ore., area accounted for nearly as many deaths among young and middle-aged men as cancer or heart disease in 2000. When residents began to turn to prescription pills, heroin deaths dropped. But for those seeking treatment, the percent of heroin users is back up to levels not seen since the 1990s. And the population getting treated is younger than it's ever been. By 2012, that age group was 10 percent of the heroin-treatment population. Last year, 11.6 percent of all heroin addicts seeking treatment in Oregon were younger than 25.
www.kgw.com/news/local/Heroin-use-rises-in-Oregon-....html

Cover Oregon to decide whether to fix website or adopt federal exchange

Cover Oregon’s now-infamous website failed to work on Oct. 1, when people were supposed to be able to enroll for health insurance online. It won’t be fully functional by the current Monday deadline, so the board’s next task is to guarantee a working website by Nov. 15, the day people can start to enroll in plans for 2015. The Cover Oregon board will decide in two weeks whether to adopt the federal health insurance exchange website or hire a new contractor to fix the existing site, officials told the Legislative Oversight Committee on Tuesday. The details of the proposals have not been worked out, including cost, the manpower needed to implement each solution, how the project would be managed or the requirements for the new contract. The report to the committee offered a third solution as well — piggy-backing on another state’s system — but Rep. Jim Thompson, R-Dallas, said it appeared most likely the board would choose between the federal exchange and using a new vendor.
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140326/NEWS/303...hange

Should Cover Oregon stay the course or cut bait and seek IT elsewhere?

Should Cover Oregon stay the course or give up on its IT and switch to technology from another state or the federal exchange? Cover Oregon is looking at four basic options: stick with what it has now, either with its current contractor Oracle or a new vendor; transfer functioning technology from another state, in whole or in part; use the federal exchange technology; or purchase a technology product to replace the current system. A committee made up of Cover Oregon staff and board members and representatives of several health plans and the Oregon Health Authority has been discussing options."We’re having ongoing conversations,” Aaron Karjala, Cover Oregon’s chief information officer, told the board last week. The exchange also hired consulting giant Deloitte to conduct an analysis of various options, but its findings have not been made public.
www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/health-care-inc/....html

4000 illegal aliens "accidentally' registered for Oregon's version of Obamacare --4000!!

4000 illegal aliens "accidentally' registered for Oregon's version of Obamacare --4000 ! When you sign up for social services in Oregon. They ask you if you would like to register to vote. ....language barriers.... may permit some confusion, but the clear intent of not addressing this loophole--"accidentally" signing up folks for Kitzcare could it be..... to get a new voting block. Your tax dollars at work....
www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/03/cover_....html

Oregon increasing its appetite for federal money!!

The money it gets from the feds rose to 6.1 percent — to $16.4 billion — in 2013-15, as compared to 2011-13. The Oregon Health Authority got the largest chunk, about $7.6 billion. Part of that — roughly $1.2 billion — is for the state’s expanded Medicaid program, a joint effort with the federal government. By 2016, the feds are expected to fund the program in full. The Department of Human Services also got a large slice, about $6.3 billion; the rest was divided between various government agencies — about $500,000 for public safety and $1.5 billion for education.
oregoncatalyst.com/26907-oregon-increasing-appetit....html

Federal report casts Oracle as a bully, Cover Oregon execs as inept!!

The Oregonian obtained a copy of the investigation, which was completed in late February. The report indicates that Oracle has refused to provide documents requested by Cover Oregon. It also accused Oracle of "throwing bodies rather than skillset" at problems. As the Oregonian notes, the investigation also found that the Cover Oregon team also didn't know what its contractor was doing. Another federal investigation is coming soon. At the request of U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, the U.S. Government Accountability Office has agreed to review the troubled exchange.
www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2014/03/....html

Cover Oregon Oregon reaches 'transition agreement' with Oracle!!

Oracle Corp. delivered an ultimatum to the state of Oregon last week and it has paid off handsomely. After Oracle threatened to walk away from the state's health care exchange with the IT project still unfinished, the state agreed to pay $24 million to the company on Monday and will pay them another $19.9 million by Thursday. Oregon announced today it has reached a "transition agreement" with the company. Oracle agreed to continue to work on the exchange. In paying the $43.9 million to Oracle this week, the state is not giving up its right to go to court and try to recover that sum, said Cover Oregon spokesman Michael Cox. For that matter, the state is reserving its right to litigate over the entire sum billed by Oracle for its IT work, which has now reached a mind-boggling $160 million.
www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/03/cover_...river

Cover Oregon says 700 have enrolled online??

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A Cover Oregon official says insurance agents and community groups have been able to enroll about 700 people in health coverage entirely online.
Chief Information Officer Aaron Karjala revealed the number to a state legislative committee on Friday.
Cover Oregon launched its website for a limited group of experts earlier this week, more than four months after it was originally scheduled to be operational.
There's still no date for when the system will launch to the general public. Karjala says developers are regularly testing and fixing elements of the system. Individuals working without an agent or certified expert can continue to apply, but Cover Oregon staff will have to process a portion of their application by hand.
www.katu.com/politics/local/Cover-Oregon-says-700-....html

Officials explain $1Billion Dollar Budget Hole!!

Oregon’s Health Authority is facing a $1 billion hole in its next two-year budget, a gap that Republicans view as disastrous but Democrats say is solvable. Republicans worry the looming budget gap for health programs like Medicaid could mean cutting services and/or raising taxes in the 2015-17 budget, while Democrats think the hole could be closed without needing either. Why does the budget gap exist in the first place?"We budgeted to a $3.5 billion gap in 2011,” Buckley said."That was a lot of heavy lifting to get done. I know the state is capable of doing a rebalance at this level without doing any revenue increases.”
www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20140213/NEWS/302...eck=1