O.C. supervisors wrangle over doctors' funding

Fellow supervisors balked at his request, with one calling it "antagonistic" and another saying it 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 the county that contracts with private medical service providers to care for the poor. As Supervisor Janet Nguyen noted during the meeting, the county program has no connection to CalOptima.

The doctors group, the Orange County Medical Assn., has been frustrated with Cal- Optima because, among other things, it cut the fees paid to doctors for treating patients at the same time that it raised salaries for the agency's administrative staff.

Michele Revelle, a lobbyist for the group, told the board the group filed the official document request after more informal efforts were stymied.

Moorlach sits on the CalOptima board. He said during Tuesday's Board of Supervisors hearing that the public records act request did not seem appropriate "if you have a partnership and are working together."

Countered Supervisor Chris Norby: "I don't see what that has to do with this.."

"It seems it would be even more antagonistic of us to say, 'OCMA, because you asked for this information, we're going to withhold your money for a month,' " he added later.

christian.berthelsen@

latimes.com