On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors added an additional member to the board of CalOptima, the beleaguered agency responsible for delivering health care services to nearly 500,000 low income individuals, seniors, and families in Orange County. The additional member is Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who has been sharply critical of Supervisor Janet Nguyen and her service on the board.
Voice of OC reports:
Amidst mounting political pressure and concern for patient safety, Orange County Supervisors Tuesday effectively curbed the power and influence of County Supervisor Janet Nguyen.
Yet there are already indications that county supervisors may have already put the $1.5 billion health care authority on a crash course for dismantling, after two years of executive turmoil following Nguyen’s dominance of the board of directors.
The underlying concern revolves around Nguyen’s efforts to raise nearly $100,000 in medical industry campaign contributions while hospital lobbyists helped her to rewrite CalOptima’s governing ordinance in 2011, a move that ultimately enhanced the industry’s position on the board of directors.
Read the complete Voice of OC story HERE.