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Secrets and lies

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* As you already know, the Sun-Times broke the story yesterday that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has cancer. Stroger abruptly announced he was going to the hospital for a procedure, but his people wouldn’t talk about it on the record until after the paper ran its scoop.

I’m told that Stroger kept the information about his cancer a secret from his family and close friends, as well as the rest of us. We can only hope that he has learned a valuable lesson from all of this.

[Todd Stroger spokeswoman Ibis Antongiorgi] said Stroger “is committed to being as open as possible,” drawing chuckles from media, given the lack of information officially provided so far.

That left commissioners delicately trying to express both sympathy and a sense of betrayal, as they have struggled to understand many of the moves Stroger has made since he took office in December and his public relations strategy. […]

Many of the commissioners endured similar treatment last year, as they and the public were repeatedly assured that Stroger’s father, board President John Stroger, would recover just fine from what turned out to be a devastating and career-ending stroke.

* The Tribune focused on how he had withheld the information from voters during the election, but provided a glance behind the scenes that appears to confirm that Stroger kept the cancer revelation to himself…

County Commissioner William Beavers (D-Chicago), who is one of Stroger’s closest political advisers, said he only learned of Stroger’s cancer a couple of days ago.

* And Carol Marin makes a very good point [emphasis in original]…

So Todd Stroger’s burden, in addition to battling this challenge to his health, is to be different.

It is terribly important for him and for his family that he get better.

But it is just as important for the people he serves that he be better.

* Somewhat related…

* County may raise taxes after hospital chief calls for help

* Health bureau chief says patients will die

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 8:35 am

Comments

So…

Despite the thousands of patronage employees still employed at his Stroger hospital Dr. Simon
says he needs “more middle managers,” to be paid for with, of course, higher taxes for Cook County residents. We are so gullible.

And he says the hospital should be doing more hip replacements. Why? Is there a shortage of hip replacement capacity in the 15-20 or more hospitals in the wider Chicago area, including world-class institutions like the University of Chicago, Loyola Medical Center. We’d all like to get our hip replacements for totally free, of course, but is that something the taxpayers should have to pony up for?

The good doc also mentions that he hasn’t gotten the billing system under control yet (that means, thousands of patients with insurance are getting free care–free to them and free to the insurance compnies that cover them). And he says “the state won’t sign off on” hospital consolidations.
Likely that means the good doc is expected to find replacement jobs for the patronage employees who make up the bulk of those hospitals’ staff.

I have no opinion on whether Todd Stroger should have been more forthcoming about his illness.
We are told he can still do the job and should take his word on that until there is evidence to the contrary.

But one thing he should be doing is revisiting his choice of Dr. Simon to run Stroger Hospital.
Looks like the (wealthy-the tax increase won’t affect him) doc may not be up to the job.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 9:09 am
Cass, they need more mid managers because the patronage employees probably don’t do anything/enough.

Stroger’s cancer is a private matter and there was no duty to alert the public.

Let’s open all the commissioners’ records. Who has hemorroids, a yeast infection, jock itch, STD, etc.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 9:28 am
Oh please ! The reporter are all up in arms that Todd didn’t tell the truth about his cancer. Surprise, Surprise, Todd was elected on lies. We in this state have accepted corruption. In fact we embrace corruption. We seem to consider this a charming legacy of Illinois. We elect it in every election.
So please stop trying to pretend to be shocked.

Comment by Lula May Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 9:35 am
We embrace corruption, then everyone wonders why we don’t have any money.
We get what we deserve!

Comment by Good Grief ! Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 9:48 am
With this new chapter in Cook county history, my comparisons of Cook to the old Soviet Union seem to be on target.

Single party rule.
Mass corruption.
Sick rulers whose illness is hidden from others.
Powerhouse economy in slow decline.

What’s next? Are they going to build a wall to keep everyone from running to freedom in Indiana, DuPage, Lake, Will and Wisconsin?

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 10:03 am
Is there any item in a politician’s life that does not directly effect the continued existance of the world or policy decisions? I thought medical info was protected under HIPAA. Leave the guy alone if he does not want to talk about his cancer. Talk about his on the job performance all day and praise or rip him. The fact he has cancer is his business not anyone elses. Seems like sleeze reporting to me.

Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 10:27 am
I think he missed an opportunity to educate the citizens of Cook County about prostate cancer and just how common it is and ways to detect it early, but, ultimately, it is his decision. He’s not the president of the free world, for heaven’s sake, he’s the Cook County Board President. It’s not going to cause chaos in the streets even should, deity forbid, he die from it. So, no, he had no obligation to inform anyone about it.

Cass, yes, if there is a need amongst the elderly poor for hip replacements, then Stroger should do more of them. A timely hip replacement can keep Grandma out of a nursing home and in her own home, thus saving even more money for the taxpayers (given that Medicaid almost always winds up with the bill for nursing homes). Stroger provides an essential service to all the residents of Cook County, you know, the people who actually pay for it. I had surgery at Loyola, one of those fine medical institutions you mentioned, earlier this year. $30,000 for an operation and 1 day’s stay in the ICU. I don’t know if Stroger is more expensive than that, but I kind of doubt it.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 10:44 am
Although John Stroger was a wonderful man, and his life was a true Horatio Alger story, it was Dick Phelan and RUTH ROTHSTEIN who remodeled and reopened Provident hospital and created the political climate that enabled the County to build a much-needed modern County hospital.

John Stroger’s real legacy is that his mismanagement has led to the partial dismantling of the County health care system. He and his minions basically ran the County health care system into the ground. It’s a genuine tragedy.

Todd Stoger is in an awkward spot - he can’t say or do anything that would tarnish his father’s reputation. But it’s his father who created this problem.

Don’t blame Dr. Simon for the cuts he is forced to make. It’s all John Stroger’s fault. Dr. Simon is doing the unavoidable adminstrative triage to try to save the County health system. More money is needed for the health care system, but taxpayers have lost all confidence in the ability of Todd Stroger and the Cook County Board to manage the County government.

By the way the County Board is an incredibly bad Board of Directors for the hospital. The Board’s colossal collective ignorance and lack of understanding of complex public health and medical care issues makes it difficult or impossible for the Board to effectively oversee the health system.

If Forest Claypool had said a tax increase was necessary after making as many cuts as possible, then he would have had credibility. Todd Stroger and the County Board have no credibilty. It’s a political crisis as much as a fiscal crisis. The political crisis was created by the machinations of the Cook County Democratic Party to anoint Todd Stroger as the successor to his father.

Wwe would do well to heed Dr. Quentin Young’s concerns about the critical condition of the County health care system. I woiuld persoanlly be supportive of a tax increase to prevent the disintegration of the County health care system. It’s poor people who will suffer from lack of access to hleath and medical care services.

Comment by Captain America Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 12:32 pm
Cermak–

Grandma doesn’t get Medicare?

She must be one of the few elderly Americans who don’t. And I’d be surprised if Loyola, U. of C, Northwestern, Pres, etc don’t take Medicare. In fact I am virtually certain they do.

At Cook Country, true, the operation would be free–not only to Gram, whether wealthy or poor, but to Medicare and/or Gram’s insurance company. Cook County taxpayers would be paying the entire freight. There have been some (sadly) funny stories about responsible Stroger patients begging Stroger’s

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 1:12 pm
(continued) patronageridden medical billing department to take their insurance card and being told the hospital “doesn’t do that.”

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 1:14 pm
Cassandra,

It costs a lot of money to have a billing department and to set up the controls etc. needed to interface with Medicare, private insurance etc. So someone has to make a cost-benefit analysis to determine if it really is worth it to accept payment, as bizarre as that sounds.

I’m not saying Stroger (keep wanting to call it County) is not poorly administered and run. It surely is. I would further add that Dr. Quentin Young has a lot of credibility in my eyes.

Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 1:26 pm
Crook co dems are all liars do you believe Daley when he says he knows nothing about hired trucks. Do you believe Obama when he says he knew nothing about tony Rezko. Do you believe Blago any time he opens his mouth. The state is being run into the ground just like crook co. It might be the water up there.

Comment by fed up Wednesday, Jun 20, 07 @ 6:09 pm