Rrinnnggg! CALLING SENATOR WYDEN! Our Democratic Rapid Response Team jumped into action to phone Senator Ron Wyden as the Senate Finance Committee began work on the President’s budget this week. The Team is part of a national effort to make sure the $634 billion allotted to Health Care of the next 10 years does not get watered down by either Republicans or ‘moderate’ Democrats in Congress. Thank you Team! In the meantime, the Oregon legislature is working hard on HB 2009 and on various bills in the House and Senate dealing with regulating hospital rates, expanding the state prescription drug purchasing pool, making health care more affordable to low and moderate income Oregonians, and generally making the relation between hospitals and insurers more transparent. Funds are arriving from the ARRA (Stimulus Package) and future dollars available in the 2009-2011 Congressional Budget. In addition the legislature is rewriting of Oregon’s provider tax - which will hopefully increase both the number of providers taxed and the rates they pay. This bill is the source of our matching funds for further federal largesse. Remember it’s our tax money that is being returned!
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