Galveston County Daily News, Aug. 12, 2009
As Galveston County Commissioners prepare to meet again about the future of health care funding for the uninsured, a proposal to avoid creating a hospital district is gaining support. It has been suggested that commissioners should raise the county tax rate to pay for secondary and tertiary health care at 100 percent of the federal poverty level as an alternative to a hospital district. The cost of providing care at that level is expected to be between $12 million and $15 million - an increase on the tax rate of 6 to 8 cents per $100 of assessed value. With a deadline to call an election to create the district three weeks away, county leaders are racing to meet legislative requirements that would trigger the release of $350 million to help restore and expand UTMB.