San Mateo County Mulls Options for Indigent Care
The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury on Tuesday released a report detailing how the county can "alleviate the growing financial burden" of providing health care to indigent residents, the Oakland Tribune reports.
According to the grand jury, the Board of Supervisors must address several issues, including:
- Eligibility for subsidized care;
- What services should be subsidized; and
- Potential consequences of county decisions on health care coverage.
The jury recommended that supervisors before May 2008 determine "what level of indigent care [the county] can provide, given the available funds and demands" of other programs.
The report also recommended that the county:
- Seek a formal legal opinion on its obligation to provide indigent care under state law; and
- Hire consultants to help conduct a detailed review of county public health care services.
The county is one of 13 in California that meets its indigent care obligation by operating a hospital (Gordon, Oakland Tribune, 7/18). 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.