(1) The duties of the Oregon Health Policy Board are to:

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(a) Be the policy-making and oversight body for the Oregon Health Authority established in ORS § 413.032 and all of the authority’s departmental divisions.

(b) Develop and submit a plan to the Legislative Assembly to provide and fund access to affordable, quality health care for all Oregonians.

(c) Develop a program to provide health insurance premium assistance to all low and moderate income individuals who are legal residents of Oregon.

(d) Publish health outcome and quality measure data collected by the Oregon Health Authority at aggregate levels that do not disclose information otherwise protected by law. The information published must report, for each coordinated care organization and each health benefit plan sold through the health insurance exchange or offered by the Oregon Educators Benefit Board or the Public Employees’ Benefit Board:

(A) Quality measures;

(B) Costs;

(C) Health outcomes; and

(D) Other information that is necessary for members of the public to evaluate the value of health services delivered by each coordinated care organization and by each health benefit plan.

(e) Establish evidence-based clinical standards and practice guidelines that may be used by providers.

(f) Approve and monitor community-centered health initiatives described in ORS § 413.032 (1)(h) that are consistent with public health goals, strategies, programs and performance standards adopted by the Oregon Health Policy Board to improve the health of all Oregonians, and to regularly report to the Legislative Assembly on the accomplishments and needed changes to the initiatives.

(g) Establish cost containment mechanisms to reduce health care costs.

(h) Ensure that Oregon’s health care workforce is sufficient in numbers and training to meet the demand that will be created by the expansion in health coverage, health care system transformations, an increasingly diverse population and an aging workforce.

(i) Work with the Oregon congressional delegation to advance the adoption of changes in federal law or policy to promote Oregon’s comprehensive health reform plan.

(j) Establish a health benefit package in accordance with ORS § 741.340 to be used as the baseline for all health benefit plans offered through the health insurance exchange.

(k) Investigate and report annually to the Legislative Assembly on the feasibility and advisability of future changes to the health insurance market in Oregon, including but not limited to the following:

(A) A requirement for every resident to have health insurance coverage.

(B) A payroll tax as a means to encourage employers to continue providing health insurance to their employees.

(L) Meet cost-containment goals by structuring reimbursement rates to reward comprehensive management of diseases, quality outcomes and the efficient use of resources by promoting cost-effective procedures, services and programs including, without limitation, preventive health, dental and primary care services, web-based office visits, telephone consultations and telemedicine consultations.

(m) Oversee the expenditure of moneys from the Health Care Provider Incentive Fund to support grants to primary care providers and rural health practitioners, to increase the number of primary care educators and to support efforts to create and develop career ladder opportunities.

(n) Work with the Public Health Benefit Purchasers Committee, administrators of the medical assistance program and the Department of Corrections to identify uniform contracting standards for health benefit plans that achieve maximum quality and cost outcomes and align the contracting standards for all state programs to the greatest extent practicable.

(o) Work with the Health Information Technology Oversight Council to foster health information technology systems and practices that promote the Oregon Integrated and Coordinated Health Care Delivery System established by ORS § 414.570 and align health information technology systems and practices across this state.

(2) The Oregon Health Policy Board is authorized to:

(a) Subject to the approval of the Governor, organize and reorganize the authority as the board considers necessary to properly conduct the work of the authority.

(b) Submit directly to the Legislative Counsel, no later than October 1 of each even-numbered year, requests for measures necessary to provide statutory authorization to carry out any of the board’s duties or to implement any of the board’s recommendations. The measures may be filed prior to the beginning of the legislative session in accordance with the rules of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

(3) If the board or the authority is unable to perform, in whole or in part, any of the duties described in ORS § 413.006 to 413.042 and 741.340 without federal approval, the authority is authorized to request, in accordance with ORS § 413.072, waivers or other approval necessary to perform those duties. The authority shall implement any portions of those duties not requiring legislative authority or federal approval, to the extent practicable.

(4) The enumeration of duties, functions and powers in this section is not intended to be exclusive nor to limit the duties, functions and powers imposed on the board by ORS § 413.006 to 413.042 and 741.340 and by other statutes.

(5) The board shall consult with the Department of Consumer and Business Services in completing the tasks set forth in subsection (1)(j) and (k)(A) of this section. [2009 c.595 § 9; 2011 c.9 § 55; 2011 c.720 § 125; 2012 c.38 § 15; 2013 c.1 § 55; 2013 c.681 § 44; 2015 c.3 § 42; 2015 c.243 § 2; 2015 c.389 § 6; 2021 c.97 § 39]