John H. Stroger, Jr. was determined to create a strong bipartisan lobbying coalition of elected metropolitan leaders when he was elected NACo president in 1992. A decade later, the Cook County (Ill.) board president was given a healthy dose of praise for nurturing his idea — The Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) — to fruition.
In Chicago for the LUCC Leadership Retreat and Salute to John H. Stroger, Jr., about 100 people, including founding members, past chairmen, newly appointed steering committee members, and federal and local officials, congratulated one of the nation’s most influential county leaders throughout the Oct. 2–4 event for a job well done.
In a letter, President George W. Bush praised Stroger for his determination and work in establishing LUCC. “Dynamic and talented individuals who strive for excellence in their endeavors reflect the true spirit of America,” the president wrote.
The 10th anniversary celebration could not have been better timed. Many of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan counties are struggling with rising health care costs, while federal, state and local dollars have evaporated.
Additionally, Cook County is only weeks away from cutting the ribbon on the newest and most advanced metropolitan public replacement hospital to open its doors in years.
The new John H. Stroger Jr. Cook County Hospital ensures that those who could not get health care elsewhere will be provided some of the best care in the world.
Many health and finance experts who addressed the steering committee members and guests during the retreat offered very little good news to the committee.
“The uninsured population is increasing exponentially,” said Scott Ziomek, government relations director, Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council. “As private insurance premiums increase, more Americans are forgoing health insurance.”
Joyce Thomas, Midwest Hub director, Administration for Children and Families, agreed that the burden on metropolitan counties will increase as care for the uninsured falls upon the public health care system. “Forty-two million people are currently without health care in America, and that is going to rise,” said Thomas.
Dedicated to public health as its top priority in 2002/2003, the 17-member bipartisan caucus steering committee is committed to ensuring the public health of all of the nation’s residents, said LUCC Chair Don Stapley, supervisor, Maricopa County, Ariz. But they also warned that metropolitan counties are carrying an unfair share of the costs because many counties are legally obligated to care for indigent and uninsured populations.
“Counties are going to have some tough moral decisions to make in 2003,” said John Incorvaia, senior vice president, Moody’s Investment Service, who spoke to the group about the country’s uncertain economic climate. Incorvaia said the economy would most likely not strengthen until 2004, which bothered many participants who were hoping for a brighter forecast.
What does Moody’s expect in 2003? Cuts in state funding will likely weaken local government credits. Income and sales tax will not likely rebound to pre-recession levels. And the combination of the two could lead to more state and local government downgrades.
“Those municipalities we’ve seen using ‘smoke and mirrors’ to get through 2002 are going to be in trouble next year,” he concluded.
While presenting a national map of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) 10 regions and contact information, Cory Hoze, HHS regional director (Region V), strongly suggested that each of LUCC’s steering committee members develop a rapport with his or her respective HHS regional directors, if they hadn’t already done so. The specific regions can be accessed online at www.hhs.gov/iga/regions.html.
The steering committee will most likely meet next in the first quarter of 2003 so that they might continue to develop LUCC’s national strategy and to lobby members of Congress and key administration officials on metropolitan county health care issues.
