Munson: County hospitals' lack of fiscal sustainability creating budget crisis

In Aesop’s Young Man and a Swallow fable, a spendthrift youth gambles away his coat during a false spring, and is left to cold misery when winter returns. Woodcut by Samuel Coxall, 1814. See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

D1 supervisor candidate Rebecca Munson says Measure A won't fix gaping shortfall created by county hospitals' systemic overspend. The banking pro outlines a fiscal discipline approach to increase efficiencies and realize a saner county budget.

Santa Clara County has a very unbalanced budget, with 55% being spent on the four hospitals the county has purchased. They’re not self-sustaining but instead causing a financial crisis for the county.

Raising taxes with Measure A is not going to fix the problem. The hospitals need to be operating more efficiently and effectively. Even with Measure A funds the county is still operating at a loss of about $470 million: that's the biggest adjustment in over a decade.

The county plans to cut $100 million in mental health services - 365 staffing positions. It still leaves the county with a deficit of about $200 million. Not to mention that the county has not had a balanced budget since 2022.

Here are solutions to get us back on track:

Audit the 88 agencies for efficiency
Look for any overlaps in services
Look at the hospitals - and how they can become more self-sustaining. First steps would be:
Optimize revenue by expanding profitable services like telehealth, optimizing enrollment, and being an advocate for federal funding.

Munson: County hospitals' lack of fiscal sustainability creating budget crisis

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