Rising Emergency Care Costs to be Covered by Hike in LA County Property Tax Rate

In order to generate an additional $17 million from property taxes, L.A. County leaders agreed to raise the property tax rate for Measure B slightly so that more funds could cover the costs of emergency and trauma care. As a result, property owners will be paying a little more each year so that the large budget deficit of the Department of Health Services will be relieved. Legally the county can only raise the rate by about 27-hundredths of a cent. The Press-Telegram reports:

“The department had a $200 million deficit last year, and may see that budget hole balloon to $600 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year, according to the department's interim director, John Schunhoff. The deficit is largely due to medical cost increases and the rising cost of unreimbursed care for those without health insurance or means to pay, county officials say. The county runs two Level 1 trauma centers, at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance and USC Medical Center near downtown Los Angeles.”

A few outside facilities will also benefit from the tax rate increase due to the costs that county-responsible patients cause such places to incur. Specifically, around $2.5 million will be set aside. The tax increase will be seen on this year’s tax bill for L.A. property owners. Read more here.