💸 Why Oregon hospitals are losing money

Bill To Regulate Nitrous

In the last few years, Oregon has had 30 deaths from nitrous oxide (used in making whipped cream) as well as from a gas used in aerosol dusters. Bills to address safety concerns in the Legislature would require that buyers of the gas canisters to prove that they're at least 18 years of age. [OPB]

Last Year Was the Worst for Hospitals

Hospitals across Oregon are “on the brink of closure,” according to the hospitals’ industry group. One key part of the financial difficulties is that a third of Oregonians are covered by Medicaid, and the program’s reimbursements aren’t covering expenses. [Willamette Week]

• Two things make the outlook worse in Oregon than elsewhere: nurses are the highest paid in the country, relative to the cost of living, and there aren’t enough acute medical beds so patients are staying in hospitals long past their discharge dates. [Willamette Week]

A Key Flaw With the Plan to Boost Housing

The mayor and governor’s plans to boost housing production by waiving system development charges have one key flaw, according to City Councilor Steve Novick. There’s a plan to overhaul the high-crash corridor along 82nd Avenue and make it safer, but it relies on the revenue from those development fees to match federal funding. [KATU]