Join the fight to protect physician-directed healthcare in Oregon

Dear friends and neighbors,

By now, many of you have heard a lot about my personal legislative priority: Senate Bill 951, protecting the independence of doctors and other medical providers in Oregon by closing loopholes that allow big corporations and private equity firms to control practices and dictate care to your provider.

Many of you know what’s at stake in this bill because you remember what has happened right here in Oregon. Take the highest profile example–Optum’s takeover of the Oregon Medical Group (OMG). Dr. Phil Capp, the Executive Director of Optum Oregon, was speaking at a Citywide Health Care Forum in Eugene after the exodus of physicians post-takeover, when he proclaimed: “The experiment of having physician-directed healthcare in this country over the last 70 years didn’t work. It didn’t work.” A video of that event is available here on Youtube.

Headline from The Oregonian. Under Oregon law dating back to the 1940s, Optum could not “buy” the Oregon Medical Group. They did so through a loophole in the law, leading to the mass exodus of physicians.

 

It’s a revealing quote. It illustrates the choice in front of our state. I truly believe we are at a fork in the road that will determine the future of healthcare in Oregon. Either we believe physician-directed healthcare is a failed experiment and that corporate execs should take over the reins – or we believe physician independence is worth fighting for.

If you agree with me, I am asking you to help get this bill over the finish line.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Health Care Committee on Tuesday, April 29. This is when legislators on the committee–my colleagues in the House–hear from the public, lobbyists, and other advocates on all sides. Rest assured, the opponents of this bill will be there to state their case.

We will have physicians, researchers, and other supporters on our side. But what we need is Oregonians (actual patients!) who care about preserving physician-led healthcare to show legislators we care about this issue. Before, during, and after the hearing, these legislators often review the written testimony from constituents unable to make it to the hearing.

Here is a link to a one-pager on the bill if you’d like to learn more about the details.

The best way to help right now: submit written testimony. It can be short, personal, and from the heart—just a few sentences or paragraphs about why you believe medical decisions should be made by providers, not profit-driven corporations.

I get tons of emails and calls from constituents who feel powerless in today’s tumultuous politics. This really is an opportunity to have your voice heard and to be part of real progress.

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Here's how to do it:

• 1st- Click here to find SB 951 on OLIS–the Oregon Legislative Information System.
• 2nd- Click “Submit Testimony.”
• 3rd- Provide information and submit what you’ve written.

If you have any questions or run into any issues, please email or call my office and we can help.

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Here's what the bill does, in plain terms:

SB 951 says that medical decisions should be made by medical professionals—not corporations. The bill blocks private equity firms and other non-medical companies from interfering in how care is delivered to patients. It ensures that doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed providers are the ones calling the shots when it comes to patient care.

It also cracks down on corporate tactics that silence providers or trap them in harmful contracts—like non-competes, non-disclosure agreements, or stock agreements that make it hard for them to leave or speak up about unsafe practices. And it gives doctors more legal protection if they blow the whistle on corporate interference.

Testifying on a version of this bill last year alongside two titans of healthcare policy: Governor Kitzhaber and Dr. Bruce Goldberg. Photo from The Lund Report.

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If you’re able, try to submit your testimony before 3pm on April 29th–that way, the committee members can see your support before the public hearing. However, the portal will be open for you to submit testimony until 3pm on May 1st.

Thank you so much for staying engaged and using your voice. We’ve made great progress, and with your help, we’ll get this over the finish line.

Take care,

 

 

Ben Bowman

Oregon State Representative

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