Trauma Centers Get Fund Boost in Tentative Budget

A two-house budget negotiating committee voted Wednesday to provide $113.5 million more for state-financed health and hospital programs, including $9.9 million for Los Angeles County’s struggling network of emergency trauma centers.

The action was contained in a compromise worked out by Democrats and designed to increase funding for some of California’s more critically under-funded health care programs, particularly emergency rooms that accept poor or indigent patients.

Funds for Emergency Rooms

Most of the money would go to counties, but a substantial amount of financial aid would also go to private hospitals with emergency rooms that treat patients not covered by private or public health plans.

“It’s very good for counties,” said Larry E. Naake, a lobbyist for the County Supervisors Assn. of California, who with Los Angeles County officials has been lobbying for weeks for the extra health care financing.

The additional funds for trauma centers were sought by Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) after Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center quit the trauma center network because of budget problems and Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood announced that it also would be forced to withdraw because of financial problems.

But state officials say the problem is statewide, with counties and private hospitals struggling to keep health care programs afloat in the face of dwindling financial support from the state, as well as strong pressure to provide increased services to indigents who cannot afford private health insurance or qualify for state welfare programs.

Still a Shortage

Although county officials were pleased by the committee action, the $113.5 million in added spending still was about $180 million less than the level of health care funding proposed in the $42-billion version of the budget approved by the Senate.

Budget negotiators, forced to forge a budget that stays under a spending ceiling imposed by voters in 1979 and fearful of vetoes by Gov. George Deukmejian if they do not, continued to chop away at the compromise budget they hope to send to the governor by a June 15 deadline.

In addition to taking final action on health programs, the budget conferees also voted to reduce the projected increase in monthly living allowances for welfare recipients and people receiving Social Security income supplements under a special program for the aged, blind and disabled.

Senate Democrats had wanted to increase the monthly allowances by 3.6%, which would have been 1% above the level required by law. The committee approved a 2.6% increase, a savings of $51.7 million.

The committee also voted to give all other state health and welfare programs inflation adjustments of 1%, rather than the 2.6% to 3.6% proposed in the Senate version of the budget. That allowed the committee to save another $57.5 million.

Cut $678.8 Million

In all, the committee has scaled down spending by $678.8 million during its eight days of deliberations.

But, even with all the cutting, the state Department of Finance said the conference committee was still well short of Deukmejian’s goal of a $40.8-billion budget with a $1-billion reserve. The committee’s version of the budget provides for a reserve of $423 million.

Deukmejian so far has not indicated whether he will support the added funding for health programs.

Assemblyman William P. Baker (R-Danville), one of two Republicans on the conference committee, said he believes that Republicans will support some of the health program financing package, such as the increased funding for trauma centers, but only if Democrats yield in their opposition to Deukmejian’s proposed $700-million tax rebate plan.

Over Spending Limit

The rebate is possible because the state hit the spending limit during the current year and was left with a projected $1.1-billion surplus. Deukmejian proposes returning $700 million to taxpayers. He wants to send the remaining $400 million to local school districts. The aid to school districts will be possible only if the Legislature approves a bill, carried by Baker, that readjusts the formula setting state and school district spending limits.

Assemblyman Bruce Bronzan (D-Fresno), who authored the compromise providing money for health and hospital programs, said: “This will be a big boost for emergency health services, which are struggling right now. The trauma network, particularly in places like Los Angeles, is falling apart. This will help keep it afloat.”