Molina Raises the Stakes on Size of County Hospital

Raising the stakes in the never-ending struggle over the size of County-USC Medical Center, Supervisor Gloria Molina on Tuesday said she will not support the effort to renew Los Angeles County’s critical billion-dollar federal waiver of Medicaid rules unless the county addresses her concerns about building a smaller hospital.

Molina’s abstention is significant because when the supervisors first secured the waiver in 1995--thus avoiding bankruptcy for the county--all five were united in their efforts and Molina, with her ties to Vice President Al Gore, was a key negotiator.

But on Tuesday, as county health staff formally presented supervisors with the document they would use to negotiate an extension of that waiver, Molina raised several concerns that led her to abstain from approving it.

The most touchy concern regarded quake-damaged County-USC Medical Center, which is in Molina’s district. The board has voted 4 to 1 to rebuild the hospital smaller than Molina wants.

Without an explanation in the waiver application of how health care would be provided to uninsured communities near the downsized hospital, Molina said, she could not support the waiver renewal effort.

“This document does not meet the needs of the constituents I represent,” Molina said, vowing to lobby in Washington and Sacramento for clearer answers on that and two technical issues not related to the hospital. “I am hopeful we can work in a way that is included. I think this county owes it to the residents.”

Health officials and other county supervisors replied that the hospital and the other issues that concerned Molina were being addressed by the county Department of Health Services.