Williams: Protecting our health care is the smartest investment we can make - San Jose Spotlight

"Fiscal responsibility is about more than balancing a budget, it's about making smart, strategic investments that protect our community for the long term. Here in Silicon Valley, we know being enterprising means leveraging every resource to its greatest potential. Your county government has embraced that ethos - stewarding limited public dollars to maximize returns, strengthening our safety net and safeguarding the well-being of nearly 2 million residents."

"A sweeping set of federal budget cuts under H.R. 1, also known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," will strip away over $1 billion a year in federal reimbursements to Santa Clara Valley Healthcare. These are not abstract numbers. These are the dollars that keep our hospitals open, our emergency rooms staffed and our health care system functioning."

"Make no mistake, this fiscal crisis is not of Santa Clara County's making. Unlike the federal government, your county government must, and does, balance its budget every single year. For every 12 cents the county invests locally in health care, 88 cents comes back through external revenues such as Medi-Cal, Medicare and commercial insurance. We've built a system that turns 12 cents into a dollar's worth of care. That's not just responsible, it's remarkable."

Fiscal responsibility prioritizes strategic investments that protect community long-term. Silicon Valley's county government leverages limited public dollars to maximize returns, strengthening the safety net for nearly 2 million residents. Federal budget cuts under H.R. 1 will remove over $1 billion annually in federal reimbursements to Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, jeopardizing hospital operations and emergency services. The county balances its budget annually and relies heavily on external revenues: for every 12 cents invested locally in health care, 88 cents returns through Medi-Cal, Medicare, and commercial insurance. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare runs four hospitals and 15 health centers and operates critical trauma and burn centers.

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