The Bexar County Hospital District’s 2020 recommended tax rate was approved Tuesday by the Bexar County Commissioners Court and, at 27.7429 cents per $100 valuation, is projected to yield more than $457 million in revenue.
The rate remains mostly unchanged from 2019’s recommended 27.6235 cents per $100 valuation.
“We are keeping the tax rate the same in large part because we have been very successful [at generating revenue] through our new facilities that the Commissioners Court invested in,” said George Hernández Jr., president and CEO of University Health System, which functions as the Bexar County hospital district.
Hernández said that UHS has the lowest tax rate of any of the hospital districts in Texas, including Houston, Dallas, and Forth Worth, because the funding received through taxes makes up only 22 percent of the budget.
“Because 75 percent of our patients [do not pay for services], it reduces the burden on the taxpayer,” Hernández said, noting that federal reimbursements and patient payments, in addition to tax rates, account for the more than $1 billion it brings in each year.
“The economic engine that supports the health system is the hospital itself,” Hernández said.
University Health System consists of one hospital, 23 outpatient treatment centers including clinics, sleep labs, and specialty centers, 6 urgent care centers, to name a few provider types, with locations throughout San Antonio.
It is the only San Antonio-area center to receive a national ranking by the U.S. News and World Report. In 2018, University Hospital was ranked 42 in the country in adult urology hospitals with a score of 72.7 out of 100, and as a high performing hospital for treating heart failure and conditions.
“We provide great patient care, and we can rely on that to go into our budget,” Hernández said.
