John Kitzhaber, Oregonian photo
Liz Baxter, executive director of We Can Do Better, was nominated by Gov. John Kitzhaber to serve on the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Board.
The Governor’s press release describes the board:
The Board will oversee the development of a Health Insurance Exchange for Oregon. The Health Insurance Exchange is a central marketplace where individual Oregonians and small employers can compare the quality and value of insurance plans on an apples-to-apples basis, and easily and quickly enroll in coverage that is affordable. The Board of Directors will submit a formal business plan for the Exchange no later than February 1, 2012, for approval by the Legislature.
Peter Wong of the Salem Stateman-Journal explains the charge of the board:
The board, working with the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, will return to lawmakers in the next session Feb. 1 with a business plan to start up the exchange. The board will decide on how plans qualify for listing, including what benefits are offered.
All states are required by the 2010 federal health-care overhaul to set up exchanges or have one run by the federal government. Oregon had been considering its own for years.
All the appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. The Senate Rules Committee will meet Sept. 22 to consider the nominees for these and other state boards.
We expect Liz to work to make sure that the Health Insurance Exchange is developed in a way that maximizes transparency, fairness and ease of use for consumers. And of course she’ll advocate for changes that result in better coverage, lower cost and a better care experience.
If confirmed by the Senate, Liz Baxter will continue to serve as executive director of We Can Do Better during her tenure on the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Board.
Congratulations, Liz!
The other appointed board members are:
Bruce Goldberg, Director of Oregon Health Authority
Teresa Miller, Administrator of the Insurance Division, Oregon DCBS
Ken Allen, Executive Director of Oregon AFSCME Council 75
Teri Andrews, small business owner of CG Industries in Corvallis
Aelea Christofferson, small business owner of ATL Communications in Bend
Jose Gonzales, Principal Broker of Tu Casa Real Estate Corporation in Salem
Sujata Sanghvi, Chief Operating Officer and Executive VP of PacificSource Health Plans in Springfield
George Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Health System
The committee seems overloaded with insurance executives – why two? And why a real estate broker, when there are other business representatives? The Oregon Health Board has consistently been a group dominated by insurance company representatives and business executives that are completely out of touch with health care needs of those with much lower incomes than they have. I appreciate Liz’s appointment, but am concerned that her voice will be over powered by a preponderance of special interest people, with no reason to support affordable health care for the middle and lower income people of Oregon.