Santa Clara Healthy Kids parcel tax, Measure A (November 2010)
A Santa Clara County Healthy Kids parcel tax, Measure A ballot proposition was on the November 2, 2010 ballot for voters in Santa Clara County.[1] It was defeated.
The ballot measure, if it had been approved, would have added a tax of $29 on parcels in the county, lasting for 10 years.[2] Based on the number of parcels in the county, about $14 million would have been generated by the tax each year. Funds from the tax would have gone to support the county's "Healthy Kids" program.
Election results
- Yes: 279,844 (58.76%)
- No: 196,397 (41.24%)
These election results are from the Santa Clara County elections division as of November 27, 2010.
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for passage.[3]
Supporters
- League of Women Voters[4]
- The Health Trust[4]
- Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley[4]
- Silicon Valley Leadership Group[4]
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation[4]
- El Camino Hospital[4]
- Kaiser and Valley Medical Center[4]
- Santa Clara Family Health Foundation[4]
- The editorial board of Mercury News urged a "yes" vote on Measure A, saying, "One way or another, Santa Clara County taxpayers are going to pay to provide health care for the roughly 15,000 uninsured children who live here. The cheapest, most efficient way to fulfill that legal and moral obligation is for voters to approve Measure A on Nov. 2."[5]
- The editorial board of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times urged a "yes" vote, saying, "Without Measure A, thousands of children in Santa Clara County will lose health coverage."[4]
Opponents
Opponents of Measure A said that it is unnecessary because of the new national healthcare law.[6]
Healthy Kids program
The Healthy Kids program in Santa Clara County was started in 2001. Since 2001, the program has provided medical, dental and vision coverage to about 37,000 children whose parents do not have private insurance but whose income is high enough that they do not qualify for the statewide Medi-Cal insurance program. To be eligible for the Healthy Kids program, a family of four can earn no more than $66,150/year.[7] In 2010, about 8,500 children are enrolled in the program.[2]
The Healthy Kids program is identified as "the nation's first universal children's health insurance program."[2]
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| Measure A: To protect and maintain children’s health and prevent serious illnesses through regular medical checkups, immunizations, and early detection; to reduce costs from unnecessary emergency room use; and to prevent elimination of insurance coverage for low-income children of working families; shall Santa Clara County enact a $29 dollar annual parcel tax; limited to 10 years; with independent citizens oversight, full public disclosure of all spending, and subject to audits?[8] |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mercury News, "Santa Clara County supervisors add children's health fund measure to November ballot," May 25, 2010
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 PublicCEO, "Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Approves Parcel Tax Ballot Measure For Healthy Kids Program," May 26, 2010
- ↑ Mercury News, "Santa Clara County voters being asked to chip in for kids' insurance, road repair," October 3, 2010
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Mercury News, " Measure A gets universal support for Healthy Kids," September 27, 2010
- ↑ Mercury News, "Mercury News editorial: Santa Clara County parcel tax for children's health will be a good investment," September 7, 2010
- ↑ Mercury News, "Santa Clara County ballot measure asked voters to stretch dollars for children's health care," September 9, 2010
- ↑ KCBS, "Santa Clara Ballot Measure Taxes Homeowners for Kids Health," May 26, 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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