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78 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 29, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 9, 2004 Patridge fumes over DHS budget revision By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Legislators say they feel duped and angry over a $120 million miscalculation in the budget of the state Department of Human Services. "I’m pissed," said Medford Rep. Rob Patridge. "I’m angry at them." The department had said it would need to cut $179 million if Measure 30 failed in February. However, the department now says it incorrectly calculated the impact of reductions previously made to the Oregon Health Plan and other services. While this means fewer reductions to already devastated health services programs, it has left legislators like Patridge wondering if cuts could have been avoided in other agencies. Advertisement "The issue is would we have fired state police if we knew about the $120 million?" he said. "Would we have cut the court system? Would we have cut K-12?" Patridge, a Republican, helped orchestrate a budget compromise in the last legislative session that would have increased taxes to avoid deep cuts in services had Measure 30 passed. Patridge said legislators suspected there were problems in the finances of human services, but with only two people budgeted for the Legislative Fiscal Office, it was difficult to ferret out every problem. "We had a lot of concerns about the Oregon Health Plan," he said. Legislators did correct some irregularities, but Patridge said it was difficult to penetrate deeply into the budgets of these bureaucracies. "How do we compete with a staff as big as DHS?" he asked. Salem Sen. Jackie Winters, who co-chairs the human services subcommittee, said, "I was furious when I first heard about it. When we were in session they told us they didn’t have enough revenue." However, upon further analysis, she said there are many factors that led to the miscalculation, including the fact that there were 89,000 enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan last year, but the number dropped to 45,000 after the state started charging a premium of $6 to $20 a month and a co-pay of $2 or $3. Winters said many on the plan dropped out because they were worried the state would end the program. The extra money is also the result of greater savings from efficiencies that came about during the last legislative session, she said. But some of the savings appear to be the result of bad accounting, of which legislators got an inkling during the last session. "The numbers weren’t as accurate as they should have been," she said. Even though there still remains a lot of questions about the $120 million, Winters said the health plan that now serves only 45,000 poor families could become history unless the state finds a way to get more than $50 million. "We are going to go from 89,000 to zero pretty quick," she said. Republican Sen. Sal Esquivel of Medford said, "It’s disturbing when you miraculously find $120 million." The government, he said, was making predictions of drastic cuts because there wasn’t enough money, but then the story changed after the failure of Measure 30. "Almost the very next day, the governor comes out saying he’s found more money here and there," said Esquivel. He said that outside auditors should be brought in to investigate the efficiency of government agencies and determine if they are spending money wisely. Republican Rep. Dennis Richardson of Central Point, who is also calling for outside auditors, said he was in the minority in the Legislature speaking out against accounting irregularities and budget problems. "I feel vindicated," he said. However, he said the human services problem would further erode the credibility of the Legislature and government in the future. "It will reinforce this lack of trust," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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