Orange County, CA, supervisors wrangle over doctors’ funding

Orange County (CA) Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach sought to withhold nearly $54,000 in funding from the Orange County Medical Assn. because it recently filed a request seeking records from CalOptima, the county's version of the statewide MediCal program. Fellow supervisors balked at his request, saying it was antagonistic and amounted to retaliation. The funding measure ultimately passed with the doctors' funding intact. The money was part of the Medical Services Initiative, a $70-million program administered by Orange County that contracts with private medical service providers to care for the poor.