However, Oregon may be the only state to launch such an ambitious array of reforms and to consolidate all health care functions and authority in one entity, said Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, who helped launch the reform effort six years ago. "We are blazing a trail here ... If this works the way we want it to, it may be one of the few models in the United States that will really bring down costs and improve quality." Reform can't come too soon for Salem small-business owners Homer and Annette Owen. Full Article at Salem Statesman-Journal