Editorial: Study all angles of UMC debt

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 4:22 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION: Jan. 26, 2003

A bleak future for public services was predicted last week as the Clark County Commission delivered its State of the County report. Commissioners noted that growth continues to climb, but revenue continues to fall because of the drop in tourism since Sept. 11. They worried aloud about their ability to continue providing adequate police and fire protection, and resolved to stand firm against any attempt by the state to solve its own financial crisis by tapping into their local tax revenue. They also resolved to bear down on University Medical Center, which they perceive as the chief drain on the county treasury.

The hospital, which is losing $2 million a month, needed an emergency $38 million from the county last month. County Manager Thom Reilly referred to UMC as a crisis and said the hospital's services may have to be cut back. But as Reilly and the county commissioners know, UMC's financial difficulties stem from receiving so many uninsured patients. Before cutting back on services, the county should study ways to reduce the number of people without health insurance.

For starters, the county, state and city governments, along with the school district, should cooperate in setting a community labor standard for the construction contracts they award. The way it stands now, governments can protect their own budgets by awarding jobs to companies that either do not provide health insurance for their workers or do not offer them affordable insurance. The savings for the governments, however, are achieved at the expense of UMC, which must treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. Governments should also stop contracting for private services, such as landscaping, security and custodial work, unless the workers are guaranteed to be covered. Additionally, governments could do a much better job of policing private construction companies, to ensure that their employees are at least covered -- and are aware that they are co vered -- by workers' compensation insurance. Many of UMC's patients are construction workers who have no form of insurance.

The County Commission appointed a 10-member panel to scrutinize UMC's operations. We hope the panel also scrutinizes where UMC's uninsured patients are coming from.