Universal Health Plan Governance Board : April 2026 Meeting Summary
Universal Health Plan Governance Board - April 2026 Summary
Big Picture
In April, the Board focused on three primary areas:
Discussion of revenue recommendations
Ongoing debate about adequacy and completeness of Milliman savings estimates
Board operations, recruitment, and future leadership transitions
Discussions reflected growing tension between the desire to move financing recommendations forward and concerns that incomplete proposals could undermine confidence in the Board’s final report.
Revenue Proposal Review
The Board reviewed a high-level summary of draft revenue proposals and discussed a minority report released by several Finance & Revenue Committee members asserting that some revenue and expenditure assumptions may be inaccurate. Further discussion will continue at the next meeting. Planned votes on components of the revenue package were postponed.
Board members raised several concerns about moving forward before the package is complete, including:
Whether the Board should vote on isolated revenue elements without understanding the full financing framework
Whether partial recommendations could be misinterpreted by the Legislature as a finalized plan
Whether unresolved policy questions should first return to a committee for further refinement
Administrative complexity created by certain payroll tax approaches
Michelle Glass emphasized the need for any interim recommendation to clearly state that it is not a complete revenue plan.
Milliman Expenditure Discussion
In response to ongoing concerns about cost assumptions understating potential savings, Milliman reviewed several areas where savings may be possible, including via reimbursement levels, provider payment collectibility, simplified eligibility and billing systems, and health plan staffing.
Executive Director Report
The Executive Director reported on several organizational matters:
Board Outreach - Continued public outreach activities statewide, including HCAO-hosted town halls
Budget Funding Request - The Board’s biennium funding request continues moving through the legislative process
Upcoming Board Transitions - Several board terms are ending over the next year:
Michelle Glass is anticipated to depart in September 2026
Amy Fellows is expected to complete her term in December 2026
The Board expects to open recruitment processes in October and January 2027, with an emphasis on candidates experienced in public engagement.
Leadership succession will also require selection of a new Vice Chair and future Chair.
Committee Updates
Community Engagement & Communications Committee - Completed 11 focus groups.
Transition Committee - Ongoing discussion of role and scope.
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) System Readiness Report
The OHA readiness report was approved as part of the consent agenda, without presentation.
Public Comment
Public comment focused heavily on financing issues. Major themes included:
Concerns about the accuracy of Milliman expenditure forecasts
Questions about whether proposed taxes are sufficiently progressive
Skepticism regarding the effectiveness and fairness of the household size rate readjustment
Looking Ahead
May is likely to focus on:
Continued debate and possible votes on revenue proposals
Reserve strategy discussion
Release of the community engagement focus group summary
Increasing pressure to reconcile incomplete financing work ahead of the September final report deadline
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Questions? Contact: emmaoppenheim@hcao.org
