Health officials want to redefine who can get low-cost health care
In redesigning the health care system for uninsured and underinsured county residents,
That idea went over with a thud, but it's not entirely off the table.
A fleshed-out proposal is expected in November, but the discussion is underway now because of an unusual partnership between the public
It comes at a time of uncertainty about how much federal aid will be available for indigent health care after
In addition,
"We are knitting together a system of care," said
Gaps and inefficiencies occur now, she said, because people who cannot afford health care tend to put it off until they end up sicker -- with even bigger bills that they can't pay.
"If we could provide better care in the outpatient environment to a larger number of people, then we could begin to figure out how to blunt the amount of dollars we spend in the most expensive of environments" -- emergency rooms and hospital beds, said Dr.
Money that is now needed to cover more costly care can become savings that get reinvested, he told the board in May.
That's a key concept behind the integrated delivery system.
That percentage was chosen as a discussion starter because it is the threshold Seton uses when considering charity care for patients, Hernandez said.
"The board is concerned that, my God, we're going to blow the budget out of the water," board member
Heidrick said in an interview later that he was reflecting the heartburn of other board members about the potential impact on taxpayers and concerns about taking resources from one group and giving them to another. Personally, he said, he would favor expanding coverage, if the board can afford it.
Young Brown disagreed that overhauling coverage benefits would necessarily cost taxpayers more.
The board's role is a balancing act: to protect taxpayers while being fair to Seton,
That public-private relationship, which extends into the coming decades, is financially complicated.
Seton is investing in the collaborative and building a
Some observers have questioned whether
Hartman said the
As Seton works with
Seton's operation of
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