The Affordable Care Agency is holding its monthly meeting in Seaside on Wednesday to discuss high hospital costs in Monterey County. Vicki Silva, a union member who works in the hospitality industry, wants people to take notice. She's battling cancer and has medical bills piling up. “I'll be honest with you, I don't even open envelopes anymore. When I get a bill, I throw it away because I know I'll never be able to pay it,” Silva said. “We've all suffered through this. We've all been through it. It's a daily experience. So now the OHCA really understands there's a problem here,” Silva added. The OHCA is a relatively new commission tasked with reining in high health care costs, and it's currently zeroing in on hospitals in Monterey County. “This is a big deal. This committee has never traveled before and to my knowledge has no plans to travel to other parts of the state. The state has limited travel due to the state budget situation. So it's a big deal that they decided to come to Monterey County and see the situation here for themselves and hear from people who can't make the six-hour round trip to Sacramento,” the OHCA commissioner said. Hospital rates in Monterey County are among the highest in the country. In the past, hospital administrators have cited several factors, including being an expensive place to do business and a high number of Medicare and Medicaid patients. “I agree that the cost of health care in this region is a challenge, but there are several factors that contribute to it. Specifically, the high cost of living. We recruit and pay our staff here, and we pay them high wages, 75th percentile of other hospitals in Northern California,” the hospital administrator said. “Our mission, our obligation, is to provide health care to everyone in our region. Unfortunately, because of the way government reimbursement works, that burden is also borne by private payers,” another hospital official added. Activists reject these explanations, pointing to other high-cost areas where rates are much lower. One OCHA board member says the high costs hit the working poor especially hard. “It shouldn't be the case here or anywhere that people have to struggle to pay back tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, giving up opportunities for their children, sometimes giving up food to put on the table,” the OHCA board member said. And workers like Silva say they appreciate the opportunity to tell their stories and hope it will bring about change. “I'm really glad the OHCA made the time to come here,” Silva said, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to share her story. The OHCA board meets at the Embassy Suites. The board has already put in place a phased five-year plan to limit future spending statewide, but could go further and introduce sector targets specifically targeted at hospitals in Monterey County. More Top Central Coast Stories | Download the App | Download Very Local
SEASIDE, Calif. —
The Affordable Care Agency is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting Wednesday in Seaside to address Monterey County's high hospitalization rates.
Vicky Silva, a union member and hospitality worker, wants people to be aware: She is battling cancer and facing mounting medical bills.
“To be honest, I don't even open envelopes anymore. When I get a bill, I throw it away because I know I'll never be able to pay it,” Silva said.
“We're all suffering from this. We've all suffered from this. This is a daily experience. So now the OHCA really understands there's a problem here,” Silva added.
The OHCA is a relatively new commission tasked with curbing high health care costs, and it is currently focused on Monterey County hospitals.
“This is a big deal. This committee has never traveled before and to my knowledge has no plans to travel to other parts of the state. The state has limited travel because of the state budget situation. So it's a big deal that they decided to come to Monterey County, see the situation here for themselves and hear from people who can't make the six-hour round trip to Sacramento,” the OHCA commissioner said.
Monterey County's hospital rates are among the highest in the country, and hospital administrators have historically cited a number of factors, including it being an expensive place to do business and a high number of Medicare and Medicaid patients.
“We acknowledge the cost of health care in our region is a challenge, but there are several factors at play, specifically the high cost of living. We recruit and pay our staff here, and we pay them high wages that are in the 75th percentile of other hospitals in Northern California,” the hospital administrator said.
“Our mission, our obligation, is to provide medical care to everyone in our community. Unfortunately, the way the government reimburses medical care, that burden is spread among private insurance companies,” added another hospital official.
Activists reject those explanations and point to other high-cost areas where rates are much lower.
One OCHA director said the high costs hit the working poor particularly hard.
“People struggling to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt, giving up opportunities for their children and, in some cases, giving up food to put on the table, should not happen here or anywhere,” the OHCA director said.
And workers like Silva say they're grateful for the opportunity to share their stories, in the hope that it will bring about change.
“I'm really glad the OHCA took the time to be here,” Silva said, thanking them for the opportunity to share her story.
The OHCA board meets at the Embassy Suites. The board has already developed a phased, five-year plan to limit future spending statewide, but it may go further and develop sector goals with a special focus on Monterey County hospitals.
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