For discussion
One starting point.
Five levels of relief.
Build on Representative McIntire’s LC 1969 with a permanent rural hospital designation, then decide how much financing and payment protection to include.
LC 1969 is currently a study draft. These ten complete working alternatives offer five cumulative levels, each with two eligibility approaches. They are proposals for review, not amendments approved by Representative McIntire or Legislative Counsel.
Two ways to define the class
A · Federal classifications
A qualifying nonmetropolitan Oregon hospital must hold both Medicare Sole Community Hospital and Rural Referral Center status. There is no minimum bed count.
B · Add a service-based route
Keeps A and adds an alternative based on comparable-service travel time, regional patient origins and documented transfers. It requires separate proof; no hospital’s eligibility through that route has been established.
Read the actual language
Each level includes the preceding level’s provisions. Choose the level of relief and the eligibility approach separately. Every link opens the complete text; no Google account is needed.
| What the draft adds | Approach A | Approach B |
|---|---|---|
| M1Permanent designation Creates the statewide class, certification and review process. Designation alone provides no payment. | M1-A Read full text | M1-B Read full text |
| M2Add the implementation study Keeps the designation and adds a study of payment, costs and access. The study expires; the designation continues. | M2-A Read full text | M2-B Read full text |
| M3Add public financing Adds a voluntary public-financing pilot. Payments require eligible funds or public expenditures, spending authority and the applicable approvals. | M3-A Read full text | M3-B Read full text |
| M4Add targeted access protection Adds payment protection for a documented service-cost gap that threatens access. This requires separately authorized funding and approvals. | M4-A Read full text | M4-B Read full text |
| M5Add an allowable-cost payment target Adds a 100% allowable-cost target for covered Medicaid hospital facility services and a first-biennium state-share appropriation formula. Federal limits, approved methods and funding govern what can actually be paid; the formula still needs a fiscal estimate. | M5-A Read full text | M5-B Read full text |
Discussion texts, revision 4. Payment programs have separate operating conditions and rules against duplicate payment. A designation does not itself establish a hospital’s entitlement to funding.
The choice for the opening proposal
The hospital objective is durable recognition of the regional services these hospitals provide, with payment that can sustain those services. A strong opening proposal can preserve that objective while keeping narrower alternatives ready. Representative McIntire determines what she requests and introduces; the eventual scope will depend on legislative support, the budget and implementation requirements.
The next step is to settle the hospital objective and opening request, obtain a fiscal estimate, and have Legislative Counsel conform the selected language.