Newspapers recently reported on legislative action related to health care in New Jersey, Oregon and Washington state. Summaries of the coverage appear below:
New Jersey: The state Assembly on Thursday approved legislation that would improve hospitals' monitoring of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus outbreaks and identify hospitals that commit medical errors, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. One bill would require hospitals to create and launch an infection control plan in their intensive care units within one month of the law's enactment and to expand the plan facility-wide "as quickly as feasible." Hospitals would be required to screen all incoming patients and isolate those who test positive for the disease. A second bill would require the state to collect information about MRSA outbreaks at hospitals and post the information on its Web site. Both bills have passed in the state Senate and now move to Gov. Jon Corzine (D) for consideration. The state Assembly also approved a bill that mandates the state identify hospitals that have committed serious and preventable medical errors. The bill now will go to the state Senate, where "it faces a more uncertain future," according to the Star-Ledger. In related news, the state Senate and Assembly on Thursday approved a series of bills related to autism that would improve detection, collect funds for research and study the needs of adults with autism (Newark Star-Ledger, 6/22).

Oregon: The state Senate on Wednesday voted 22-7 to approve a bill (SB 329) that would establish a framework for restructuring the state health care system, the Oregonian reports. According to the Oregonian, the legislation aims to make the state health care system "affordable, effective and universal." The bill would control costs through bulk purchasing, cost comparisons, research-based practices, electronic health records, effective use of technology, better management of chronic illnesses and market incentives. The bill includes $2.3 million in state and matching federal funding, which would be used to hire an executive director and create an Oregon Health Trust Board, which would be responsible for determining the details of the plan. The health trust also would be funded with contributions from employers and uninsured residents. The details would be codified during the 2009 Legislature. The bill now goes to the House for a vote. If approved, Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) has said he will sign it (Graves, Oregonian, 6/21).

Washington state: A program that will expand health care to all children in the state will cost more than originally predicted and provide coverage mainly for undocumented immigrant children, according to new state data, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Previous estimates had determined that the program, which goes into effect on July 22, would insure 6,680 undocumented immigrant children, but now this figure is estimated at more than 16,000. The increase was a result of unanticipated numbers of non-citizen siblings of citizen children now covered by the program, according to Kirsta Glenn, executive director of the state's Caseload Forecast Council. The impact of the increased number of eligible children is close to $16 million more than the $29 million estimate, a 54% cost increase. Of the total $45 million, $12 million will be spent covering U.S. citizen children who previously were uninsured, and $25 million will be spent covering undocumented immigrant children. About $8 million will be spent on children who are citizens and are covered by other insurance programs, according to the new figures. The increase in cost will be offset by $19 million in new federal funds, and the "net impact to the [state] budget is a $6 million increase," according to Victor Moore, director of the state Office of Financial Management (McGann, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/22).

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