O.C. Register - Sanchez denounces supes for rejecting $10 million

By O.C. Register

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, on Monday described as "extremely disappointing" decisions by Orange County's Board of Supervisors  to forbid the county's Health Care Agency from seeking more than $10 million in federal grants.

As our OC Watchdog blog reported last week, the board has twice nixed the agency's efforts to win federal money for wellness programs because some members of the board see the money as tainted by President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as health care reform (or, as critics including board Chairman John Moorlach prefer to call it, "Obamacare").

Newly reelected congresswoman Loretta Sanchez appeared and spoke at the Anaheim Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, November 10, 2010.

In a statement, Sanchez said:

"It's extremely disappointing that these officials – elected by Orange County citizens to serve this community's best interests – are unfortunately putting politics before the health and well-being of the people of Orange County," said Sanchez.  "This is federal funding that the Board of Supervisors is choosing to leave on the table – funding that is greatly needed for a county with such a high number of unemployed and uninsured. I call on Chairman Moorlach and supervisors Patricia Bates and Shawn Nelson to do what the people elected them to do – serve their needs.  I thank supervisors Janet Nguyen and Bill Campbell for their support on this important issue."

Separately, Frank Barbaro, chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County, also issued a statement condemning what he called "political grandstanding" by the Board of Supervisors:

"The decision by the County's Board of Supervisors is both short sighted and not fiscally prudent", said Barbaro. "The Board of Supervisors is politicizing healthcare policy decisions by rejecting the effort on partisan grounds, not one based on good public policy." …

Added Barbaro, "Healthcare costs skyrocketed in the years leading to Affordable Care Act. The Board's decision effectively means taxpayers will pay more for rising healthcare costs, because the board does not understand the basics behind federal Healthcare reform measures. We believe it's time for this board to employ effective public policy in lieu of political grandstanding."

Last week, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky criticized O.C.'s supervisors while appearing as guests on radio shows discussing the board's decisions. Both programs,  on stations KCRW and KPCC, said they asked O.C. supervisors to participate in the discussions but were told none were available.