L.A., Ventura Cos. to Get Millions in Fed Funds for Insurance

Los Angeles and Ventura counties are two of 10 California counties that will receive a total of $540 million in federal dollars to test ways of providing health services to the underinsured, the governor’s office announced Thursday. The funding is part of a state senate bill signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last year that allocates funding for three-year plans serving low-income uninsured adults in 10 counties. L.A County will receive $54 million; Ventura County is earmarked $10 million. “Counties have delivered forward-thinking proposals to provide primary and preventive care to uninsured Californians, which will help ease the burden on our overcrowded emergency rooms,” the governor said in a statement released Thursday by his office. “By promoting health and wellness, covering the uninsured and increasing affordability, California can create a model that the rest of the nation can follow.”