With federal approval and a Supreme Court OK, Kitzhaber makes good on health care promise

Gov. John Kitzhaber won a third term in office, in part on his promises to revamp, for the second time, the state"s health care system.

During the 2011 legislative session, Kitzhaber made some big steps toward that goal. He was able to persuade lawmakers to launch two major parts of his health care overhaul: Creating a health insurance exchange system and setting up a system of "coordinated teams” of doctors, nurses, dentists and other providers to focus on prevention before more expensive emergency care is needed.

There were a couple catches, though. President Obama's health care law was still winding its way through the court system and the federal government hadn"t yet signed off on the state's plans.

A few months have meant a world of change. In May, the governor flew to Washington, D.C. and returned home with news of an agreement with the federal government.

The Obama Administration allowed the governor's plan to move forward. In a complicated deal, the feds said they would direct some $1.9 billion to the state over the next five years. That cash is supposed to help subsidize the transition to the new system.

Just a couple weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled the federal health care reform bill was constitutional. Thought it's difficult to say how, exactly, striking the law down might have affected Oregon's plans, it certainly would have had an impact on the health care exchange front, according to spokesman Tim Raphael. The coordinated teams piece would have continued forward as planned. None of that much matters now, though, as the law still stands.

WIth both of those barriers out of the way, we have a Promise Kept.

While running for governor, Kitzhaber promised to "set up a large demonstration project in Oregon that fundamentally shifts the way health care is organized and delivered ... and ask for a broad waiver from the federal government to give us permission to actually do that."

He's accomplished both pieces of that promise.