Kristian Foden-Vencil
Kristian Foden-Vencil is a veteran journalist/producer working for Oregon Public Broadcasting. He started as a cub reporter for newspapers in London, England in 1988. Then in 1991 he moved to Oregon and started freelancing. His work has appeared in publications as varied as The Oregonian, the BBC, the Salem Statesman Journal, Willamette Week, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, NPR and the Voice of America. Kristian has won awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. He was embedded with the Oregon National Guard in Iraq in 2004 and now specializes in business, law, health and politics.
-
Medicaid in Oregon now pays for medication to suppress puberty in teens who may want to change their gender. Oregon officials decided the benefits outweigh possible trade-offs of stopping puberty. -
A woman who is suing the University of Oregon for mishandling her rape case could have her own medical records used against her in court. Yes, that's legal.
-
The Oregon Health Plan just started covering the cost of reassignment surgery and hormone therapy for transgender people. Oregon joins a handful of states that provide such coverage through Medicaid. -
Over the weekend, Brittany Maynard used Oregon's Death with Dignity law to end her own life. Since Oregon's law first passed in 1994, hundreds have used it to prevent suffering at the ends of life.
-
When patient and doctor don't speak the same language, it's not enough to have an ad hoc interpreter. You need an adult fluent in both languages — who can also cut through medical jargon. -
Drugmakers offer medicines at a bargain price to hospitals that treat large numbers of poor patients. Hospitals sometimes resell the drugs at full price and make hefty profits. -
High hopes dashed, Oregon is the first state to abandon having its own health insurance marketplace. Now it has to figure out how to transition to HealthCare.gov. -
Cheryl Stumph and her family haven't had health insurance for years. Now that they do, they plan to take make up for lost time. Pent-up demand for care is overwhelming an Oregon health plan. -
The Trillium Community Health Plan in Oregon gave 50 schools money to integrate the Good Behavior Game. It keeps kids plugged in and learning, and hopefully less likely later to pick up a dangerous habit like smoking.
-
In Oregon, the online health marketplace isn't working for people looking to buy individual policies. But the state has been rapidly expanding Medicaid anyway. In Texas, insurance helpers may face state regulations that would make it even harder to assist people seeking coverage.
