Budget Deficit Once Again Projected for L.A. County Health Agency
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' budget deficit is projected to hit $344 million in fiscal year 2009-2010, according to a memorandum from John Schunhoff, the health department's interim director, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The deficit is projected to be $1.2 billion by 2012, Schunhoff said.
In the past, the county had considered closing parts of its trauma and hospital network in an attempt to deal with expected deficits, but Schunhoff said the department is not considering eliminating services or cutting jobs at this time.
County officials say they are optimistic that the department will receive tens of millions of dollars from the federal economic stimulus package and secure other sources of new revenue.
However, some county supervisors' aides said the department's projections use overly optimistic projections for revenue from sales taxes and vehicle license fees (Therolf, Los Angeles Times, 4/8). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.