Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Oregon Health Fund Board is recommending  to Governor Ted Kulongoski how to  overhaul the state's health care system. April Baer reports.

The 2007 Legislature asked the Health Fund Board to think deeply about the problems plaguing Oregon health care - chiefly, access, but also the cost of care.

Eileen Brady, the businesswoman behind New Seasons Markets, is the board's vice-chair.

Eileen Brady:  "We don't want to continue to fund a broken system. One of my biggest reflections on this year, I haven't talked to one health insurance administrator, one hospital administrator, one doctor, or one citizen, who actually thinks the health care system works."

The board suggests ways that 100,000 more Oregonians could use the existing resources, but also proposes a way to contain the cost of health care.

One key feature is a state health authority -- like the riverfronts' Port Authorities -- that would be accountable for patient care as well as the cost.