Not every county has a medical safety net for its poorest of the poor but despite it’s financial troubles, Milwaukee County continues to maintain the General Assistance Medical Program (GAMP). GAMP provides limited medical care for those who cannot afford it.

With Governor Jim Doyle’s recent announcement that healthcare coverage for all Wisconsin children would be his priority when re-elected, pressure would be reduced for County Executive Scott Walker to continue to provide GAMP services.

As if there was no irony too great — this means that a Doyle win could help Walker should Walker still be in office at the time of the next Doyle budget. Of course this would defy what is widely rumored (nearly common knowledge these days) that Walker will not want to face the hard tasks of putting together a 2008 budget since by then it will be quite clear that his own fiscal mismanagement will have caused disasterous implications on the budget.

But it is not only children and Walker who will benefit — hospitals would also receive their slice of the pie.

Recently, St. Michael’s Hospital announced it will be closing its doors, unable to meet obligations due to the spiraling costs of healthcare as well as the extra burden they must bear as the hospital closest to the demographic areas of poverty in Milwaukee County. With St. Mike’s out of the picture soon, St. Joseph’s Hospital will likely bear a greater burden of the poor and the question remains as to when will St. Joe’s have to close its doors if they have to bear the costs they used to share with St. Mike’s.

With all children being covered by health insurance under a new Doyle administration, at least the costs of the previously uninsured kids will not have to be shouldered by St. Joe’s alone.

Now the question is whether Walker will be able to hold off until 2008 to cut GAMP. The county’s financial position is dire, compounded by Walker’s slavish adherence to the Grover Norquist style tax freeze, Walker’s own underfunding of key portions of the budget including a $27 Million underfunding of the pension plan, soaring fuel and heating costs, rising benefit and salary costs and also inflation.

Some are even openly wondering if GAMP will even make it past the county’s 2007 budget cycle before is suffers the axe.