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If passed, the The program would was to be administered by [[AccessEscambia]], a non-profit 501(c)4 organization established in [[2003]] to study and address the increase in the number of Escambia County residents who lack health insurance. According to the AccessEscambia website<ref>[http://accessescambia.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.viewItem&item_id=38&cat_id=1 About AccessEscambia]</ref>, 66,000 or 20% of Escambia County residents "have no health insurance coverage and are not eligible for any publicly-funded programs".
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A '''referendum''' will be was held on Tuesday, [[June 26]], [[2007]] to determine whether or not the [[sales tax]] in [[Escambia County]] will would be increased by one half-cent ($0.005) for a period of ten years, increasing the sales tax rate to 8.0% from the current tax rate of 7.5%. If passed, the It was defeated almost 2-1.<ref name="soe">[http://www.escambiavotes.com/07healthresults.php Supervisor of Elections unofficial results]</ref> The additional tax would generate have generated an expected $15 million to $17 million yearly to be used to fund primary and preventive healthcare for Escambia County residents who lack health insurance and meet certain other criteria.
==Official ballot wording==
The ballot voters will use words worded the measure as follows:
'''Half-Cent (½¢) Health Care Surtax'''
==Administration==
The program would aimed to subsidize primary and preventive healthcare services including primary physician care, check-ups, screenings and immunizations, urgent care, chronic disease management, basic lab tests and x-rays, prescription medications, and transportation services.
To be eligible to receive for the subsidized healthcare services AccessEscambia would administerprogram, an Escambia County resident residents would have been required to meet the following criteria:
*Must have been an Escambia County resident for 2 or more years
*Must live at or below 150% of federal poverty level (proof of income must be provided)
*Must agree to not miss more than 2 consecutive appointments
The program would be have been administered by a "voluntary board to employ care managers to approve eligibility and confirm primary care is received". AccessEscambia claims claimed that such an administration would comprise "less than 10 employees". Additionally, the [[Escambia County Commission]] would intended to "appoint citizens to a watchdog committee which would oversee the program and receive an annual expenditure reports to be sure the money is spent appropriately".
==Opposition==
In addition to conservative citizens who oppose opposed new taxes or feel felt that the proposal is was a step toward [[Wikipedia:Socialized medicine|socialized medicine]], the AccessEscambia proposal faces faced opposition from those who oppose welfare programs or feel that the program would benefit a large number of legal immigrants. However, as noted above, applicants must would have been required to provide proof of income with a federal tax return, which illegal immigrants will would not be able to provide unless they have had committed fraud. The only organizations officially opposed to the tax seem to be informal groups such as the "[[Citizens for Ethical Treatment of Taxpayers]]". Additionally, some opponents feel felt that a sales tax, which is a [[Wikipedia:Regressive tax|regressive tax]] (i.e it effectively taxes poorer taxpayers at a higher rate than more wealthy taxpayers), is not the best method to fund such a program.
On [[June 17]], [[2007]], the ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'' published an interview with tax opponent [[Al Hampton]], a retired [[Sacred Heart Hospital]] executive<ref>[http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070617/NEWS01/706170326/1006 "Opponent says tax would be a burden"] - ''Pensacola News Journal'', June 17, 2007.</ref>. Hampton inferred that as a taxpayer he opposed any new tax, but stated that this tax concerned him especially due to the fact that it is a regressive tax, and that he feels the issue would be better addressed on the state or national level.
==Results and context==
The surtax was soundly defeated on [[June 26]], with 22,121 (65.4%) voting "no" and only 11,705 (34.6%) voting "yes" — a ratio of almost 2-1. Voter turnout was only 18.86%.<ref name="soe"/>
A similar proposal by [[AccessEscambia]] had been defeated by voters in the [[November 2]], [[2004]] election, 74,367 to 60,278.<ref>"No tax increase to provide basic health care for needy." ''Pensacola News Journal'', November 3, 2004.</ref> At the time, many proponents blamed the defeat on skyrocketing expenses in the wake of [[Hurricane Ivan]], as well as low voter awareness amid the cacophony of a presidential election, and hoped a second measure devoted only to the surtax would be more successful.<ref>"Health tax up to voters." ''Pensacola News Journal'', June 17, 2007.</ref> However, by [[2007]] the [[sales tax]] in [[Escambia County]] had risen another half-percent to 7.5%, and many homeowners continued to face increases in both [[property tax]]es and [[windstorm insurance]].
The [[Community Maritime Park]], which survived a voter referendum a year earlier, was frequently cited as a foil for the [[AccessEscambia]] proposal. [[Nancy Fetterman]], widow of Vice Admiral [[Jack Fetterman]], publicly endorsed both projects.
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Escambia County special elections]]
