The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously
Tuesday to place a $29 annual parcel tax on each piece of land for
the next 10 years on the November ballot to create a stable source
of funding for the county’s uninsured children.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to place a $29 annual parcel tax on each piece of land for the next 10 years on the November ballot to create a stable source of funding for the county’s uninsured children.
Children up to age 19 who are living in poverty and who are otherwise not eligible to obtain coverage are provided medical, dental and vision benefits through the Healthy Kids Program.
The tax is expected to generate $13.5 to $14 million annually to sustain the program. At the end of 2010, several donors will stop supporting the initiative and unless other funding is found, thousands of children will be disenrolled, according to the county board of supervisors.
More than 37,000 children have received health care coverage through the Healthy Kids Program since its inception in 2001 as part of the Childrens’ Health Initiative, the nation’s first universal children’s health insurance.
“The county has the responsibility of providing health services to everyone regardless of their ability to pay,” Supervisor Don Gage said. “Kids without access to basic health care end up in the emergency room, which costs a lot more than a doctor’s visit. It’s not only the right thing to do, but finding a way to fund healthy insurance for these children also makes good economic sense.”
In order to pass, the parcel tax needs approval by two-thirds of voters. It would become effective Jan. 1, 2011, although property owners would not see the tax on their property tax bills until late 2011. It would expire in 2021.
