As part of Orange County’s 2013-14 Budget this week, $2 million in budget augmentations earmarked for hospital services provided in the county’s indigent care program (MSI) were approved, affirming straw votes taken on the budget earlier this month.

HASC advocated on behalf of the augmentation, and it was the only augmentation included in the Health Care Agency budget. Hospitals will incur more than $200 million in actual cost losses for services provided but not reimbursed in the 2012-13 program year.

The focus of attention will now turn to the design of the County’s future safety net program. The new program will be established effective January 2014 in order to meet the County’s ongoing “Section 17000″ responsibilities for serving patients with medical emergencies who are not yet enrolled in the Covered California Health Care Exchange or in Medi-Cal.

Contact: Julie Puentes
(714) 663-0294, jpuentes@hasc.org