New plan. (Health Care).Community health clinics operated by the troubled WattsHealth Foundation Inc. insurance plan have been given a new lease on life. The clinics, which serve 46,000 Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. residents, were formally separated from the insurer this month. The insurance plan remains under the control of a state-appointed conservator conservator n. a guardian and protector appointed by a judge to protect and manage the financial affairs and/or the person's daily life due to physical or mental limitations or old age. after nearly two years due to financial problems. The clinics will now operate as Watts Healthcare Corp., with a separate board and management. They offer primary care, substance abuse counseling and other services not readily available in South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. , and are used by poor residents who qualify for programs such as Medi-Cal and those who do not. "We hope to revitalize the programs and improve the health care services," said William Hobson Captain William Hobson RN (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was the first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Early life Hobson was born in Waterford, Ireland, the son of Samuel Hobson, a barrister. , a former federal health official recently hired as Watts Healthcares' first chief executive. WattsHealth Foundation was a hybrid insurance plan and community clinic operator. It was placed in conservatorship Conservatorship A circumstance in which the court declares an individual unable to take care of legal matters and appoints another individual, known as a conservator, to do so. Notes: This is sometimes referred to as "LPS Conservatorship. in August 2001 after it began to fall behind on its claims handling. State investigators laid some of the blame on the insurer's use of money from health care premiums to subsidize sub·si·dize tr.v. sub·si·dized, sub·si·diz·ing, sub·si·diz·es 1. To assist or support with a subsidy. 2. To secure the assistance of by granting a subsidy. its clinics. The clinics' future, in question after the state takeover, is now assured with the establishment of the new structure. But it is unclear how many patients they will be able to continue to serve. The clinics must now sustain themselves, relying on federal grants, reimbursement from government programs and other sources that do not draw from the insurance plan. "What we are trying to do is make this program operate within budget," said Hobson, who is reviewing the finances and expects a roughly $30 million annual budget to support them. Staff reporter Laurence Darmiento can be reached at (323) 549-5225 ext. 237 or at ldarmiento@labusinessjournal.com. |
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