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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: County bracing for flood of uninsured patients By Tom Kisken (Contact) Ventura County health leaders are gearing up for continued increases in uninsured patients who show up in clinics, urgent care centers and emergency rooms as a result of state budget cuts that could take away as much as $22 million from public healthcare in the area beginning next month. At a county budget hearing Monday evening, Ventura County Health Care Agency Director Mike Powers said the state’s approved health cuts will take away about $9 million from the county. Additional cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but not yet approved could take away $13 million more from a county system that includes hospitals, clinics, public health, drug and alcohol programs and mental health services. Ranging from the proposed elimination of the Healthy Families insurance program for children to the already approved elimination of adult Medi-Cal benefits for services like dental care, the cuts will likely mean more people will fall into the healthcare safety net. Powers projected that patients using county clinics, already at record volumes, could increase another 15 percent over the next year. “There’s more demand because of the economic downturn,” he said, referring to the number of people who have lost their jobs and their health insurance. County healthcare workers will continue to find ways to meet the need, he said, stressing the importance of expanding outpatient programs, preventive care and access to the clinics. He said the increased use of clinics helps keep people out of the emergency rooms. He also cited the county’s existing treatment program for uninsured people. Funded by federal money and administered by the state, the program reached its capacity of about 9,400 patients earlier this year, causing leaders to at least temporarily stop accepting new applications but continuing treatment of existing members. “All of the members continue to get excellent care. We’re advocating at the state level to continue the program and expand it,” he said, noting that the program is designed to be a model of how to care for the uninsured. Powers said he thought county health workers — using cost-efficient strategies that drew praise at Monday’s hearing — could survive the $9 million in approved cuts without a dramatic impact on healthcare. But the governor’s proposed cuts hit public health, mental health and medical care. Powers said the elimination of the Healthy Families program, which provides coverage for children from families that don’t qualify for Medi-Cal, could cost the county about $8 million. Powers said he was hopeful that lawmakers would find a way to avoid eliminating the Healthy Families program. Health outcomes would be impacted if parents delay treatment for uninsured children. “I think the proposed cuts would have a tremendous impact on healthcare,” he said. “We’ll survive but it will be difficult to maintain service levels.”
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