Little public input on Rideout affiliation
Concerns raised about Medicare, Medi-cal
Only three people submitted comments during meetings Friday over the proposed affiliation of Rideout Health with Adventist Health.
As one of the last orders of business before approval can be granted, the California Attorney General’s Office conducted hearings in Yuba-sutter to gather public input.
Two speakers raised concerns about how an affiliation might impact access to services like Medi-cal and charity care. The other suggested Adventist implement an advantage program for local Medicare patients – something they said has been done at other facilities under the company’s umbrella.
Deputy Attorney General Scott Chan said the attorney general has the option to approve the deal, disapprove it or approve it with conditions.
He said the determination will be based on whether the community would be adversely impacted by an affiliation.
Joyce Pope, who has been a Yuba-sutter resident since 1990, said her concerns revolve around how a deal might impact the hospital’s charity care and local residents’ ability to access critical programs like Medi-cal.
“I believe that if you were to look at our population demographics, there are a considerable number of people without health care,” Pope said.
About 81 percent of the hospital’s inpatients are reimbursed through Medicare (46 percent) and Medi-cal (35 percent), according to a recent health care impact statement prepared for the attorney general’s review. In addition to that, the hospital has provided an average of nearly $3.7 million in charity care every year for the last five years.
According to the impact statement, officials said a poor payer mix and a large number of charity care patients is viewed as contributing to Rideout’s financial difficulties. The entities that put the impact statement together recommended that if the attorney general approve the deal, he should also stipulate that Adventist commit to continuing participation in the Medi-cal program for at least five years, and to maintain its average level of charity care – no less than about $3.7 million annually – for at least six fiscal years.
Pope, who said she spent about 40 years as a nurse, asked for both parties to ensure those services and programs are maintained for the foreseeable future if a deal is approved.
“My concern is for this population that is underserved, and I ask that they maintain access to that care for that population to be served,” Pope said.
An estimated 32,798 Yuba County residents (or 44 percent of the population) were eligible for Medi-cal as of August 2017, as well as an estimated 42,063 Sutter County residents (or 44 percent of the population), according to the California Department of Health Care Services.
Another speaker, Cristina Meza, also requested that the hospital continue providing funding to help the less fortunate in the community. Her son, she said, suffers from schizophrenia. The only way for him to get the help he needs is by obtaining the necessary medications with the hospital’s help, or financial assistance.
“I ask that you continue helping him and allowing for medical assistance. We don’t have the resources to provide it for him ourselves,” Meza said.
Beverly Root, a Yuba-sutter resident and a volunteer for Rideout, said she has been a counselor for the local Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) for the past few years helping assist Medicare recipients. Root said she has seen the hardships local Medicare patients have gone through in trying to find a reliable insurance program. She hopes an affiliation with Adventist will help solve that issue.
“I know more of your (Adventist) facilities have your HMOS, which would permit our Medicare people to have an advantage program,” Root said. “My question is, is that going to be possible in our local area here? It would certainly be a wonderful advantage to all of our Medicare recipients.”
Representatives from both Rideout Health and Adventist Health provided statements during the hearings.
Bob Beehler, vice president of Market Development, Mergers and Acquisitions with Adventist, said his team was excited and optimistic about the future, and that both entities share a similar set of values.
He said Adventist was committed to serving the entire community. He also said Adventist would honor a recently-signed collective bargaining agreement between local representatives of the California Nurses Association and Rideout.
As part of the affiliation deal, Adventist agreed to retain current employees in good standing for at least 90 days. However, Beehler said, Adventist does not anticipate making any significant changes after that time frame. Even if changes were to occur, he said Adventist will help affected employees with the transition.
Gary Thiara, vice chair of the Rideout board of directors, said he was confident the affiliation would bring the local hospital financial stability. Main number .................... Steve Miller ...................... Andrew Cummins .............
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FELONY ARREST
Arnoldo Rosas, 27, of Tierra Buena Road, Yuba City, was arrested by the Yuba City Police Department at 6:20 p.m. Feb. 15 at Plumas Street and Colusa Avenue on suspicion of vandalism. He was booked into Sutter County Jail.
DUI ARRESTS
Michael C. Wishteyah, 28, of the 1300 block of Hobart Drive, Marysville, was arrested by the Yuba City Police Department at 9:27 p.m. Feb. 14 in the 700 block of North Palora Avenue. He was booked into Sutter County Jail.
Michael Simpers, of Texas, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol at 1 a.m. Feb. 15 at West Onstott Road and Bridge Street. He was booked into Sutter County Jail.