News Oregon’s seven state universities have been clamoring for years for more independence from bureaucratic state regulations. As taxpayer support for them has waned, Oregon University System offici   More

Q & A Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president, isn’t going to win in November. But were...   More

News Oregon lawmakers this week introduced an intriguing bill conceived by lobbyist John DiLorenzo and sponsored by all five members of the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health Policy Committee.There are a number of noteworthy aspects to the bill. First, DiLorenzo, a longtime Salem powerbroker, has generally been associated with Republican candidates. But he got Democrats, including committee ...   More

Music I originally intended to sprinkle some quotes from my interview with legendary local musician and Dharma Bums leader Jeremy Wilson throughout an article about his new, eponymous Foundation and the issue of health care for musicians. But from the moment he answered the phone Tuesday morning, he started talking—even before I could hit "Record" or pose a question!—and, despite having lately ...   More

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News The health care rallies are starting to fill up the calendar. There's this march Oct. 18 that we told you about last week. And now there's this one on Friday, Oct. 2 in which demonstrators plan to rally at 2 pm after watching Michael Moore's newest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, at the Fox theater downtown. The Citizen's Unity Rally states on its website that its members “demand accountability ...   More

News Local supporters of a public option as part of national health care reform are organizing a march downtown on Oct. 18. “There is citizen discontent with the current bill” working its way through the Senate Finance Committee, says Ian McCurdy, one of the event's supporters. According to the group's website, the demonstration aims to show insurance companies that Portland “has ...   More

News About 643,000 Oregonians lack medical coverage—roughly one in six state residents. And the Oregon Center for Public Policy notes today that there's a good chance for those uninsured Oregonians with few resources to apply to the Department of Health Services in an upcoming drawing for the Oregon Health Plan. The drawing aims to reduce the number of uninsured Oregonians by about 20,000 people. To ...   More