Santa Clara County Supervisors approve subsidization of healthcare costs

On Tuesday, April 21, by way of a unanimous vote, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved subsidization of all healthcare costs for families of 4 with income at or below $105,000 annually. Individuals making $51,000 or less a year can qualify, too. 

The coverage pertains to medically necessary services provided by County-run VMC clinics and hospitals. Families in the income bracket between $105-$170,000 annually can also get sliding-scale benefits, to the tune of between 25 and 70%, when receiving VMC care. 

County officials expect about ⅕ of Santa Clara County’s uninsured population—which totals around 100,000 people—to benefit from the provisions, meaning 20,000 or so currently uninsured residents will now have access to healthcare. Although implemented in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this move was initially proposed by County Supervisor Joe Simitian in the early weeks of 2019.

Specifically, Simitian’s focus has been on uninsured residents who can’t afford insurance at market rates but who also don’t qualify for Medi-Cal or Medicare. Likewise, people who can’t qualify for health insurance or have medical bills in excess of 10% of their household income can qualify, as well.