Hamilton County voters are willing to pay medical bills for the poor during the next five years.

        The health and hospitalization levy sailed toward another five-year run on the county's tax books. Votes in favor of the tax were ahead of those against, 56 percent to 44 percent.

        The levy will raise $265 million over its lifetime with the majority of it — $38.7 million a year — going to pay for indigent health care.

        The remaining $72 million will be used by the county to provide inmate health care at the justice center along with programs for detoxification and tuberculosis control.

        A majority of voters also favored passage of a children's services levy, 65 percent to 35 percent. That levy will raise $200 million over five years to fund programs for abused and neglected youth.

        Overall, the health and hospitalization tax increased 25 percent over the last five-year cycle, and will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $70 per year. The children's services levy will cost the owner of that same $100,000 home $64 annually.

        The only question left with the 5.39-mill health and hospitalization levy is how to split up the bounty.

        University Hospital has historically taken 80 percent of the hospital portion of the levy, with Children's Hospital getting the rest. But TriHealth hospitals — Bethesda North and Good Samaritan — want a share for the uncompensated care they provide.

        Hamilton County commissioners have said they will decide how to best divvy up the proceeds after the election.

        For now, hospital officials are just relieved the levy passed.

        “The compassionate voters in Hamilton County have again approved this levy, and thank God for that,” said levy spokesman Al Tuchfarber.

        Voters have approved the levy every five years since 1966.

        “For the people in the county who can't afford health care, this is their safety net,” Mr. Tuchfarber said.

        The vote wasn't as much for the poor as it was for the hospitals who give the care. Both University and Children's hospitals said they would continue to provide care to the county's needy population regardless of the vote. But failure of the levy would have meant cuts in other areas.

        University Hospital spends $47.9 million a year on indigent care, while Children's Hospital spends $14.8 million annually.

        “We hadn't had an increase in the levy in 10 years, so this just basically keeps up with inflation,” Mr. Tuchfarber said. “But we remain committed to improving health care.”

        The children's services levy, at 2.77 mills, is a straight renewal. But the tax will cost homeowners more during this five-year cycle than it did during the last.

        That's because unexpected federal and state funds came into the county over the past two years, allowing a local tax rollback of $10 million in 1999 and $13 million this year.

        That money won't come around in the next five years, according to Suzanne Burke, the county's budget director, who will take over as director of the Department of Job and Family Services in January.

        “We asked for a flat tax renewal, and were projecting a $23 million gap” over the next five years, Ms. Burke said. “We still haven't been able to make that up, and we think the gap is even higher now because of decreased state funding.”

        The state has reduced money coming into the counties because of a court order to increase spending on public education and lower sales-tax revenues.

        Ms. Burke said fewer state dollars may mean the county would come back to voters for an increase in the levy before the five years are up.

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