WASHINGTON, D.C. – Health care policy experts from the 2008 presidential campaigns will address a gathering of elected officials representing the nation’s largest counties during the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Large Urban County Caucus Annual Meeting, April 9-11 in Maricopa County, Ariz. The theme of the annual meeting is “Health Care: Improving Quality, Care and Access in Metropolitan Counties.
NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) is a bipartisan coalition of elected county officials representing about 130 million people. LUCC’s objective is to provide useful information to its 1,000 elected members and develop pragmatic solutions to the challenges facing the nation’s 100 largest urban counties. LUCC is chaired by Burrell Ellis, presiding officer, DeKalb County, Ga. Joining Commissioner Ellis in welcoming the meeting participants will be NACo President Eric Coleman, commissioner, Oakland County, Mich., and President-elect Don Stapley, supervisor, Maricopa County, Ariz.
The “Health Care Crisis and the 2008 Presidential Race to the White House” session will provide an overview of the nation’s health care crisis. The session will offer participants insight into the health reform proposals of the 2008 presidential candidates. Representatives of the candidates campaigns will be given the opportunity to share ways each candidate would ensure that health care reform becomes a reality during their administration. The session, which is open to the media, will take place 9-10:30 a.m. on April 10 at The Buttes, 2000 Westcourt Way in Temple, Ariz.
- Sen. Obama representative: Elaine Batchlor, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, L.A. Care
- Sen. McCain representative: Russell Chick, Physician & President, Phoenix Orthopedic Group
- Sen. Clinton representative: Laurie Rubiner, Executive Director, Malaria No More Policy Center
Other issues to be discussed during the meeting include ways to improve wellness and quality health care access in communities, the administration’s proposed Medicaid cuts and cost shifts from the federal government to state and local governments, the Energy and Conservation Block Grant Program, and assisting youth in need (aging out of foster care and NACo’s campaign against the sexual exploitation of children). A full meeting agenda is available on the NACo Web site, www.naco.org.
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org.