Kitzhaber to Brown, Courtney, Kotek: Rethink health plan changes

In 2012 then-Gov. John Kitzhaber spearheaded reforms intended to revolutionize health care. He now says recent changes will undermine them, including a for-profit provider for low-income people in Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas counties.

Former Gov. John Kitzhaber has come out in public opposition to state regulators' recent moves to let a for-profit Fortune 500 company's subsidiary serve the poorest residents of Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties, and wants top leaders to rethink recent reforms to the Oregon Health Plan.

Kitzhaber, widely considered the father of the state's low-income program that serves one in four Oregonians, sent a letter last week to Gov. Kate Brown, Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek.