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Watchdog Committee Member Thatcher Calls For Critical Investigation of Scandal-Plagued OHA
Via WCB Council [6]
Republican state Sen. Kim Thatcher, of Keizer, issued out a statement, “Brown administration sought to exploit HIV patient to aid in takedown of non-profit “FamilyCare,” regarding her concern over Oregon Health Authority (OHA) planning to systematically target HIV patients in hopes of exploiting one to smear FamilyCare Health, one of the state’s 16 health care providers for the most vulnerable of Oregonians, these type of providers are called coordinated care organizations (CCOs). Following Thatcher’s statement, mass outrage ensued from both sides the aisle and the media, erupting with anger, until Lynne Saxton, OHA’s director was axed. Saxton has consistently come under fire from both sides of the aisle for perpetual failure and abuse of the state agency.
Thatcher, who sits on the watchdog Senate General Government and Accountability Committee, advocated to the committee’s chairman state Sen. Chuck Riley, D-Hillsboro, that they should enact a legislative inquiry to gain much-needed information on the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) culture of abuse.
“Right now we know what happened – OHA abused taxpayer dollars to create a smear campaign against a health care provider for the most vulnerable and planned to systematically target HIV patients. But what we do not yet know is why this was allowed to happen in the first place. We need to gain a fuller scope of the background on this horrific action. We cannot allow state agencies to use the force of government to target perceived political enemies,” said Thatcher.
“It is chilling how much unchecked power exists within certain powerful agencies in our state government,” said Thatcher earlier this week. “When a few people in charge don’t like a person, or a business, or a non-profit, they can use the might of the 800-pound gorilla government to pound them down and ride roughshod over them.”
OHA refused last month to let the public see the strategic plan developed to attack the health care provider, manipulate the press and manipulate lawmakers. The Brown administration intentionally, and “overwhelmingly,” blacked out 26 pages of emails involving its FamilyCare takedown-plan, blacking out all mention of the hit, citing “pending litigation.”