Corpus Christi hospital district approves agreement to end financial woes

The Nueces County Hospital District on Monday approved a new agreement expected to end its financial woes while expanding funding to local hospitals treating indigent and uninsured patients. The agreement must be ratified by Nueces County commissioners, who are expected to discuss it Sept. 5. Partly funded by taxpayer dollars, the hospital district contracts with Christus Spohn Health System to provide healthcare for indigent patients. Since the county sliced the district's tax rate years ago, the hospital district has been forced to dip into its fund balance to cover yearly budget shortfalls. The district projected it would be bankrupt by 2015 if expenses continued to outpace revenues, prompting the district to seek alternative arrangements.