Latest news with #HAO
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Haoxi Health Technology files $80M mixed securities shelf
16:24 EDT Haoxi Health Technology (HAO) files $80M mixed securities shelf Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>>
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on public sector reform: defining the powers of a tsar
The secretary general of the Department of Housing, Graham Doyle, caused something of a stir at a housing conference this week when he said that the State does not need a ' housing tsar' – the moniker given by the media to the person who will head a new office to try to accelerate housing provision. This idea is, of course, part of Government housing policy and the Minster for Housing, James Browne, has been trying to fill the post. A statement issued by the Department of Housing later the same evening said that Doyle had emphasised that the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) will have a chief executive with ' an interventionist' approach, but not a tsar ' and the connotations that word evokes.' Predictably the media was given the blame for the 'tsar' title, which we were told was 'misleading and not reflective of the real intent and purpose of the HAO.' Words are important here. The primary dictionary definition of a tsar obviously relates back to Russian history, but it can also refer to a person given power by a Government to deal with a particular issue. So what power will the head of the new office actually have? It is clear that the Department sees the HAO role as under its aegis, rather than the independent executive recommended in the report of the Housing Commission. Clearly the Minister, reporting to the Government, is ultimately responsible for this. He needs to make it clear how the incumbent will relate to his and other government departments and groups in the area, of which there are now a few new additions? READ MORE Clarity and accountability is vital. We have seen in other cases, such as the recent revelations surrounding Children's Health Ireland, how blurred lines can lead to a lack of transparency and questions over who is responsible. The housing secretary general is no doubt correct to observe that just knocking a few heads together is not going to solve the housing problem. But it may still be needed, particularly to sort out who exactly is responsible for what in the complicated structures now in place.
Irish Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
What will the Housing Activation Office – and possible chief executive Brendan McDonagh – do?
'The Housing Activation Office will do what it says on the tin,' Minister for Housing James Browne says. But what exactly does it say on the tin? The new office was announced on Tuesday and has been heralded by this Government as the great unblocker of the housing crisis . Its aim is to pull together various stakeholders in local authorities, utility providers and the construction industry to get more houses built faster. Are you a builder looking for Irish Water to service your site? Call the Housing Activation Office (HAO). Are you a local authority with land primed for housing lying unused? Then the HAO might call you. Maybe you are an infrastructure provider such as the ESB – the HAO wants you on board so you can service the land that's ready to build on. READ MORE Brendan McDonagh, the chief executive of the National Asset Management Agency (Nama), has been identified to head up the new office. McDonagh, a Co Kerry native, is a qualified accountant. Before his role at Nama he was finance director at the National Treasury Management Agency and was in Government Buildings on the night the bank guarantee was decided on in 2008. During his time at Nama the agency has developed land for housing for both the social and private sectors and has collected debt payments from developers who could pay it, while taking over the properties of those who could not. So then, some developers might not have had too pleasant an experience with Mr McDonagh, or Nama, but he could be working on their side in this new venture. Working under the chief executive at the HAO will be senior people from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the National Transport Authority and the local authorities. [ Taoiseach understands public concern over mooted €430,000 salary for 'housing tsar' Opens in new window ] The office will also work closely with officials from the planning and housing divisions of the department to ensure its work is aligned with the National Planning Framework. The key aim of the HAO is to remove barriers to the provision of infrastructure on land suitable for housing. Difficulties in securing water and electricity connections are one of the main stumbling blocks faced by builders and developers. One developer said recently he had 200 houses in the west of the country built and ready to sell but at a complete standstill for the past 12 months because they are waiting on a water connection to be provided. Ordinary people from the same county have contacted me saying they are now facing homelessness because their landlord is selling their property and they cannot find anything else to move into. A field full of houses, and a family with no home, all in the same local authority area. Are we to believe a Housing Activation Office might solve it? The Housing Commission believed it would help. In its 2024 report it r ecommended establishing a body such as this, saying it should be given powers through legislation to identify and address blockages to housing delivery. This body should be time limited and should oversee and drive investment in public utilities on land zoned for housing, the commission said. The commission also recommended that the body have the authority to resolve conflicts between public entities over the provision of infrastructure. Critics might say this all sounds a lot like what a Department of Housing should do. Advocates for the new office say it will co-ordinate services and accelerate the delivery of new homes. It remains to be seen which of them is right.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers urged to protect Oregon Health Plan against threat of federal funding cuts
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Local hospitals are calling upon lawmakers to protect access to the Oregon Health Plan as the state healthcare system faces a potential $2 billion funding shortfall this year. The , which represents more than 60 hospitals throughout the state, is urging lawmakers to pass a bill that the nonprofit says would protect healthcare for 1.4 million patients in Oregon. 'Urban doom loop': Portland Metro Chamber economy report paints grim picture The fate of HB 2010-A will first come down to the Oregon House Revenue Committee. If passed, it will move through the rest of the state legislature. 'Passage of HB 2010-A supports continued health care access for Oregon families, children, seniors, and rural communities while also preventing further stress on our financially fragile hospitals,' CEO Becky Hultberg said According to the HAO, the state is currently experiencing its highest insurance rate in history at 97% — including one in three Oregonians and 57% of the state's children. Man dead after being hit by MAX train at Delta Park Transit Station in North Portland However, as the possibility that Medicaid could receive less funding under the Trump Administration, this rate could drop significantly. 'As we continue to monitor potential federal policy changes that could impact Medicaid programs nationwide, our top priority must be supporting and stabilizing the health care system and the programs that we have today,' Hultberg said. HAO says hospital payroll costs have risen 43% since 2020 as hospitals hire more staff to meet patient needs. But without support from Medicaid, emergency services, labor and delivery units, behavioral health care, and specialty services like oncology could be at stake. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
