Politics & Government

Chronically Ill Children's Healthcare Slated for Cuts

The county plans to cut California Children's Services 20 percent.

Some children and young adults in Temecula risk losing healthcare coverage under California Children's Services.

The program, which picks up the healthcare costs of low-income kids with chronic medical conditions, is targeted for a double-digit cut by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, which scheduled a public hearing to gauge the impact of the funding reduction.

The board will hold a hearing on May 16 on its proposal to slash 20 percent in general fund appropriations for the program.

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The hearing – called a Beilenson hearings after former California lawmaker Anthony C. Beilenson – is required under state law to give parties potentially affected by healthcare cuts an opportunity to address policymakers.

During budget hearings in March, the board tentatively approved across-the-board spending cuts averaging 19 percent to rein in deficit spending in fiscal 2011-12. The county has been drawing down reserves for the past three years to balance its budget.

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The California Children's Services program is state-mandated and administered by the county, which also kicks in between 17 and 50 percent of the funding, depending on a patient's household income, which generally cannot exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Patients do not have to be uninsured to qualify.

The program can be used in combination with Medi-Cal and the California Healthy Families program, both of which offer taxpayer-funded coverage for eligible residents, according to state officials.

Figures recently released by the Riverside County Department of Public Health show 11,173 children and young adults – up to 21 years of age – get assistance from the program countywide.

In Temecula, 312 children and young adults currently get help under the program.

Benefits can include payments for treatment of children in intensive care, suffering from cancer or another life-threatening disease, said Susan Harrington of the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

The program also covers the cost of durable medical equipment and medication, she said.

The planned cuts to the program in fiscal year 2011-12 would amount to nearly $1.3 million. The county's general fund commitment to the program in the current fiscal year was $5.46 million, according to Harrington.

The health department estimated 436 applicants for coverage would have to be denied to stay within budget. The county averages 3,355 new cases each year, she said.

"Everything is on a first-come, first-served basis,'' Harrington said.

The county is also planning a 20 percent cut to her department's overall budget, and the net effect would be decreased service at the county's 10 family care centers, according to the public health director. The clinics offer low- and no-cost primary care medical appointments.

Harrington said the reduction in general fund support would translate to about 10,000 fewer visits to the clinics, likely resulting in patients seeking treatment in crowded emergency rooms.

City News Service contributed to this report.


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