Issue 7, the Health and Hospitalization Levy, is a renewal of an existing levy approved in 2011 that provides funds for medically needy Hamilton County residents at University of Cincinnati’s Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Medical Center and certain indigent care programs.
The proposed levy will raise $37 million per year, including $14.9 million for UCMC and $5 million for CHMC in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
As a renewal, the levy will not raise taxes. It will continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $51.11 a year, the tax’s current rate.
Small healthcare and nonprofit programs funded by this levy include St. Vincent de Paul’s Charitable Pharmacy program, syphilis testing at the Hamilton County Justice Center, on-site medical services for the county’s Youth Center and services to aid women trapped in prostitution.
The allocation of levy funds was questioned by county commissioners after the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low income Ohioans — the very people who, in the past, relied on the levy’s services the most. But there are still people who remain uninsured — recent immigrants, for example, aren’t eligible for Medicaid, and there are others who simply refuse to sign up or don’t know they’re eligible. Those who do have Medicaid still might not be able to afford the co-pays or deductibles on their plan.
The total impact the ACA will have on healthcare remains to be seen (though officials have estimated the impact on Children’s Hospital and certain other programs to be modest).The goal, according to the county’s Tax Levy Review Committee, is to shift tax dollars in the coming years toward services that aren’t likely to be covered by Medicaid, such as mental health issues, substance abuse issues and other non-medical needs. These are all valid uses of funds.
Over time, the ACA and the cost of expanded Medicaid will reduce the need for levy spending (and taxes).
The Health and Hospitalization Levy has served as a local safety net for county citizens for generations, and it continues to be one. It enables the hospitals to consistently purchase the most up-to-date medical equipment and allows programs like Alternative Interventions for Women, which provides services for women with mental health and substance abuse issues in the criminal justice system, to remain open.
Without it, health care to those who need it most will suffer. It deserves the support of voters.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2014.