Oregon Health Authority Enforces Improvement Plans to Cut Health Spending  

For the first time, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is requiring three health organizations to submit a performance improvement plan to ensure compliance with the state’s health care spending targets.

OHA's 2025 cost growth target accountability report found that five health organizations did not have a justifiable reason to exceed the spending limits required by the state. The agency, therefore, is asking for plans to help reduce health costs for the first time, according to a press release .

"One of the key components of our strategic plan is ensuring access to affordable care," Sarah Bartelmann, the OHA's Cost Growth Target Program manager, told Newsweek in an interview. "So access is one component of that and affordable is the other part. It's not enough to just be able to ge