Ernst refuses to help rural hospitals

Joni Ernst says she will keep rural hospitals open, her actions confirm the opposite.

My mom fell in July, was taken to our hospital, then transferred to Methodist West in West Des Moines before rehabbing at our local nursing home. When I spoke to each billing department to find out what her insurance would cover, I learned that her insurance company, UnitedHealthcare, routinely agreed in writing to pay their share. Unfortunately, when the hospitals and nursing homes billed UH for the agreed upon price, UH routinely paid only half of what they originally agreed to. According to all three entities, that is 'standard practice” for big insurance companies. As a result, hospitals all over Iowa are closing.

I reported this situation to our U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst. I got immediate action from Finkenauer, a call from Grassley's office two months later and have still never heard back from Ernst.

If Ernst cared about keeping rural hospitals open, she would force insurance companies to pay their bills.

If you are concerned about health care and keeping our rural hospitals open, vote for Theresa Greenfield and Abby Finkenauer.

Anne Pederson

Grinnell