Pound of Cure for County Hospital: $26 Million

Due to the state of anemic journalism around here, you'd hardly know that citizens can and do participate in the business of their government.  To fill that reporting void, I offer content of my comments to the Board of Supervisors at Tuesday's meeting on the hiring of a $26 million consultant to try and save the county hospital that is $100 million in debt and in need of upgrades. Here is a link to the local press coverage http://temecula.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/supervisors-approved-26m-contract-with-consultants-hired-to-save-hospital-temecula

Honorable Chairman and members of the Board,

My name is Paul Jacobs, a Temecula resident and retired health care professional.

Respectfully, I ask that you step back and look at the big picture in what is a rapidly changing landscape in health care in America.

While it is commendable that the County of Riverside would like to offer what surrounding counties offer in the way of a county medical school and hospital, it has been an uphill endeavor from the beginning, even before the Affordable Care Act.

The staff report before you states that UC Irvine in Orange County paid Huron 6 million dollars over the course of two years to improve revenue for their medical center, but UCI is a much better endowed school in a more upscale county compared to the Inland Empire.  The past performance of Huron was in a health care environment that is now in a state of flux.

Riverside County is paying Huron close to 26 million dollars in the hopes of remedying a fledgling medical center and school that is more than 100 million dollars in debt.

I believe the axiom for doing that is throwing good money after bad.

If we had a show of hands from behind the dais, I would bet that all of you would vote to repeal Obamacare as a government intrusion into health care, even as this county has dreams and schemes of having its own county government-run hospital and medical school.

Trying to rework Riverside County-care in the midst of the implementation of Obamacare is a bit like trying to build a house in the middle of a hurricane.

For the 26 million dollars Huron is being paid, I doubt they offer a recommendation for the County to liquidate and leave health care to free enterprise, but I think this Board should seriously consider getting out of the government health care business.

The political bent of this Board is for free enterprise, but your actions have been to expand county government. The private sector provides competition and innovation in information technology and medicine that the County cannot match and both endeavors have proven to be huge money pits for county government and tax payers.

The stock prices of private hospital corporations has increased since the Affordable Care Act was ruled to be constitutional by the Supreme Court.  With more people insured, county residents are more likely to use the services of a local hospital as opposed to making a long trip to the county facility. 

It would be prudent for the County to consider getting out of the hospital business. 

I understand having a county hospital and medical school is a source of pride, but pride can drive households and governments to bankruptcy.

I have no doubt that Huron is an excellent consultant with a history of successfully helping other counties and medical schools find fiscal solvency, but we are entering a different marketplace where the old rules and remedies may not apply.

Just as it is not possible for a doctor to save every patient, the County should at least consider that continuing a county hospital operation may not be viable, and county resources could be better directed elsewhere.

Governing requires a balance between health and safety.  It is well known that Riverside County is in urgent need of jail beds that are best not privatized.  By selling the county hospital, more resources will be available for public safety and other county needs.

One part of the staff report illustrates the dire straits the County is in to finance the medical center and the 26 million dollars in consultant fees. The report states that, “The Executive Office will work with the Waste Management Division to formalize a loan to RCRMC for the specific purpose of payment to Huron.”

It is almost comical that the County is looking to prop up the medical center with funds from waste management, except that such comingling of county funds threatens the tenuous financial health of Riverside County.

The only entity sure to come out of this situation in sound financial health is Huron.

A key approach in the medical world is to seek a second and sometimes a third opinion.

I know of a number of people who live in Riverside County, but choose to go out of county for specialized medical care.  I would like to believe that medical care in our county is just as good as in neighboring counties, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.

I respectfully ask that you give this situation a secondary examination and question if Riverside County really needs to be in the hospital business or if it might be better to direct county resources to where they can do the most good.

I expect you are resistive to the idea, but the cure this county needs might just be a For Sale sign.

Thank you.