Support Quincy hospital levy in Nov. 4 election
Decreased Medicare funds, expensive government mandates and increased patient debt are just a few of the problems Quincy Valley Medical Center is facing.
The center's problems aren't unique to healthcare. But its financial problems, coupled with being close to a major freeway and a major concert venue, pushed the facility further into debt with Grant County.
2013 was a bad year financially for Quincy Valley Medical Center. The facility lost $800,000, bringing its debt to Grant County to nearly $4 million in warrants.
The money must be repaid somehow. Hospital administrators decided to ask voters to approve a one-year, $2.2 million maintenance and operations levy.
The request is on the Nov. 4 ballot, which was mailed to voters this week. The last time the hospital district requested a levy was 10 years ago.
The cost of the levy request is $1.01 per $1,000 of assessed property value. A home owner with a $134,000 home would pay $135.34 for his/her portion of the levy. In Quincy, last year's median sales price of a home was $134,000, according to data on Coldwell Banker's website.
If the levy doesn't pass, there is the chance the hospital could close, according to Pat Boss, a spokesperson with the Quincy Valley Medical Center Levy Committee.
Having a local emergency room and access to 24-hour X-rays would also be eliminated. That means patients served by local clinics would have to travel for X-rays or ultrasounds that take minutes but would now have an hour-long drive added.
The Grant County treasurer, Darryl Pheasant, told hospital officials he would recommend the hospital's expenditures not be approved by the county if the levy doesn't pass. Sixty percent of voter approval is needed.
Quincy taxpayers would still be taxed to repay the debt even if the hospital closed.
Another scenario is the financial burden from some patients not paying their bills being shifted to other area hospitals in Moses Lake, Ephrata and Wenatchee because patients would have to find care elsewhere.
With the Affordable Care Act, patients are having to choose healthcare plans with higher deductibles ranging from $3,000 to $8,000. The patients come into the hospital insured but aren't able to pay the out-of-pocket costs. As a result, the hospital's bad debt/charity care increased from $958,810 in 2009 to $1.78 million in 2013.
We support the need for a community hospital but question what happens if everything doesn't fall in place for the hospital district. Is the levy just a bandage to an open wound?
There are still many things that need to happen and we certainly hope they do.
Hospital CEO Mehdi Merred told the Herald's Editorial Board this week they are considering transferring county warrants to the City of Quincy, which could result in a nearly $150,000 savings from a lower interest rate. Another $650,000 in savings would result from paying the warrants in full. City officials are looking into loaning the hospital district $1.5 million.
Another bright spot is Microsoft's $1.6 billion expansion, which would result in increased property tax revenue of nearly $2 million.
We can see timing is important with this situation. We ask Quincy tax payers to take the time to vote 'yes' on the hospital district's one-time levy request.
- Editorial Board