Health Care Forum Highlights Systemic Faults
Humboldt County health care and the challenges it faces were explored in a forum hosted by a county supervisor. Daniel Mintz reports…
A recent forum in Humboldt County highlighted the significant challenges facing the local healthcare system, with experts framing the issues as part of a broader, systemic failure in the nation’s approach to healthcare. The forum, organized by County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, featured a panel of eight hospital and medical facility managers who discussed the “points of pain” in providing healthcare in the region. A common theme that emerged was the inadequacy of reimbursement rates, particularly from government programs like Medicare.
Matthew Rees, CEO of the Southern Humboldt Community Health Care District, noted that his organization only receives about 15% of its actual costs from Medicare. “The state’s well aware that they’re paying me 15% of my costs. They haven’t given hospitals an increase in over 13 years, and they expect us to meet the seismic requirements. They expect us to meet the new minimum wage for healthcare workers, $25 an hour, they expect all these things to just happen magically, without any reimbursement to us,” Rees said.
County Health Officer Dr. Candy Stockton echoed this sentiment, stating that the “pain point really fundamentally is that we won’t treat health care like it’s a human right in this country.”
Seth Whitmer, CEO of Redwoods Rural Health Center, acknowledged the complexity of the healthcare system, saying, “This is healthcare working exactly as we’ve designed it to be. And that’s the unfortunate story, and none of us can really fix that.” Despite the challenges, the panelists also expressed some positive perspectives on Humboldt County’s healthcare and its future, highlighting regional collaboration and a shared commitment to improving care.
However, Supervisor Arroyo cautioned against being “cavalier” about the serious difficulties faced by many community members in accessing the healthcare they need. Arroyo stated that she is “committed to continuing the conversation” and that another forum is planned for the future. The issues raised at the event underscore the broader systemic problems plaguing the nation’s healthcare system, and the need for comprehensive solutions to ensure equitable and accessible care for all.
You can watch the forum in full below:
