On the minds of many

Governor, leaders in House and Senate finally coming around on Medicaid

Even though it’s still early in the 2007 session, the Association’s efforts on Medicaid and our other priority issues are certainly gaining a lot of traction. At the very least, people in high places are talking. Both Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight and Speaker of the House Joe Hackney each mentioned the need to do something about Medicaid’s burden on counties in their inaugural addresses to their respective bodies. And Gov. Mike Easley mentioned Medicaid during an interview with the media in December.

Medicaid is now an issue for them because we have been able to generate an overwhelming amount of media coverage about the burden that escalating Medicaid costs have placed on county budgets, and the growing public school capital needs that counties face. The credit for that must go to county commissioners, managers and other officials around the state.

Your constant conversations with legislators have kept the issue at the forefront with your representatives. Many state legislators held meetings with constituent groups in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 24 convening of the General Assembly, and almost all of them mentioned Medicaid relief for counties when discussing their priorities for the 2007 session.

Medicaid relief has even become a topic for the many citizen bloggers around the state, as they are starting to understand the impact Medicaid is having on their property taxes, and also the impact that Medicaid is having on the public schools in their communities.

Now the Association is coming up with even more ways for county officials to be involved. The Association’s legislative team is holding a weekly conference call with county managers to keep them up-to-date on legislative happenings. If an item needs immediate action from county commissioners, managers will let us know and tell us what we need to do.

The Association has also created a Legislative Liaison program. Each county is being asked to name a liaison that would work with the Association to disseminate information to the liaison’s fellow board members and to interact with the local delegation when needed.

In addition, the NCACC’s Web site includes a special section (www.ncacc.org/legislation/about.html) that will track bills of interest to county officials. This information will be updated weekly to give county officials the latest news.

Lobbying is all about communication, and communication is all about information. The Association is taking the steps needed to provide commissioners with the information we need so that we can discuss our issues effectively with our state representatives. I am confident that we will continue to do our part.