Health care 'scare tactic' criticized

3 of 5 supervisors wouldn't shut system if vote failed

 

Christina Leonard
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 1, 2003

 

The campaign surrounding Proposition 414 is based on one premise: If voters don't approve the measure creating a special health care district, the community will lose Maricopa Medical Center and its burn and trauma centers.

That assumption may not be true, at least not any time soon.

Three of the five Maricopa County supervisors say they would not vote to shut down the system should the measure fail.

"I personally resent that scare tactic," Supervisor Andy Kunasek said.

Voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to approve the new district, which would impose additional property taxes to subsidize the county-run health system. Maricopa Integrated Health System, which has faced financial difficulties the past few years, includes Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix and 11 family clinics Valley-wide.

Proponents kicked off their campaign Tuesday with a news conference featuring injured police officers and burn victims treated at the hospital.

Critics believe the county has gone too far in pushing the tax increase.

Instead of offering an objective viewpoint, the official publicity pamphlet clearly urges voters to approve the measure, said Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association. The official proposition is labeled "Saving County Health Care."

"I don't think in all the years I've been watching this I've seen language more biased," McCarthy said. His group is discussing whether the language is legal.

More than a dozen county officials reviewed the ballot and publicity pamphlet, including the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, said Shawn Nau, the county director of health care mandates who helped develop the ballot language.

"There was an attempt . . . to try and stay as close to the legal requirements to the statute as possible," he said.

If voters reject the proposition, the county has the authority to close the system. Neither the brochures nor the publicity pamphlet explicitly say it will shut down, but both focus on that action.

Promotional brochures published by Save Our Healthcare committee include statements such as "Can we afford to close Maricopa Medical Center?" and "Closing the hospital hurts all of us."

"I don't think anybody is saying that if Proposition 414 doesn't pass on November 4, then on November 5, the whole thing is going to close," committee spokeswoman Jody Kent said. "We are saying it's very likely parts of the hospital would close one by one . . . and if you talk to the people at the hospital, they say the most critical areas are the most expensive to run. That's scary."

Board of Supervisors Chairman Fulton Brock said there is no "Plan B" should the measure fail. Supervisor Max Wilson also said he would vote to close the system. But Supervisors Kunasek, Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley said they would keep it open.

"That's probably a draconian action, and I would want to look at every other option," Stapley said.

If approved, the average homeowner would pay an additional $22 a year in property taxes based on a $150,000 home. The funds, which would be collected for 20 years, would be used to stabilize finances and renovate aging hospital facilities.

All five supervisors support the proposition. So far, the issue has caused little stir among the general public.

"It may be the most important issue facing us right now, and it does deserve some attention," said Bruce Merrill, professor of political science at Arizona State University. "This isn't just an insignificant property tax increase. You've got to make your case. My concern is whether they're adequately doing that to get this thing passed."

The new governing board also could go back to voters and seek bonds for construction. If the system makes a profit, the board could adjust the tax rate.