Shame on County’s Doctors? No, Shame on State’s Medi-Cal

Re “Medi-Cal Rejection in County Shameful” (July 29):

Shame on doctors and hospitals for refusing to treat Medi-Cal patients.

Shame on Medi-Cal for doing anything it can not to pay its fair share to physicians and hospitals (and home health agencies and durable medical equipment suppliers and pharmacies and many other providers) and for taking months and months to pay whatever they finally do.

Shame on the supervisor who said in public, “Why should we (County of Orange) pay hospitals more money because you are required to accept patients and have no choice.”

Shame on Medi-Cal officials who tried to force Medi-Cal contracts on hospitals by tying them to the acceptance of county-administered Proposition 99 funds.

Shame on Medi-Cal, which pays hospitals an average of 61% of the cost of providing services and readily admits it doesn’t care what our costs are. And, to add insult to injury, Medi-Cal usually asks for monies back at year-end.

You said, “Some state officials are befuddled and annoyed.”

Well, so are the people who have to meet payroll and other items to keep a business operating in a viable condition.

What other business can survive by collecting just over 60% of its costs?

In what other business can one obtain a product or service without paying on the spot?

You are correct in that there is no “miracle cure” or easy answer to a complex problem, but the shame is shared by everyone in our society.

Maybe having Orange County an “open area” would work in today’s environment. It’s worth a try to find out before the entire system falls apart.

CRAIG G. MYERS

Administrator/Chief Executive Officer

Coastal Communities Hospital

Santa Ana