Houston Health Department Dental Hygienist Ninfa Rodriguez receives a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a Harris Health clinic in Houston. Harris Health, a public system for Harris County residents, cares largely for uninsured and underinsured patients and has relied on reimbursements from the federal government to deal with high case load during surges.
“To assume we’re going to just carry on with $100 million less is unrealistic,” said Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, CEO of Harris Health. “We are not in a position to just replace this funding by charging more to our insured patients.” “We’ve been continually caught off guard during this pandemic, and somewhat unprepared. You want to be building up resources when cases and community spread is low in case there is another surge,” said Jen Tolbert, an associate director for the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured for the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Otherwise, you’re responding in the moment, and that’s not an ideal position to be in.”What is ’stealth omicron?’ Here’s what you need to know about the latest COVID variant BA.
Without the federal funding, another surge in COVID hospitalizations could eventually force Harris Health to reduce beds in its two hospitals, cut services and close clinics, Porsa said, or seek additional taxpayer funding. In addition to dealing with a high caseload throughout the pandemic, Harris Health and other hospitals have had to absorb higher costs for labor, equipment and supplies, from masks to gloves to alcohol swabs.
Tax the rich!
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