Take cue from Iowa

By Joe Bolkcom

When it comes to health reform, the gap between Iowa reality and Washington politics could hardly be larger.

In the Iowa Legislature, Republicans and Democrats are working together to bring health insurance to almost all Iowa children. According to the Commonwealth Fund, no state does a better job than Iowa when it comes to providing health care to children.

Compare that to the nonsense coming from Washington. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is giving us a taste as he travels around Iowa accusing President Obama of favoring government “death panels.”

Does Grassley know that similar legislation supporting living wills and patient control of end-of-life care became Iowa law in 2008? Does he know that his grandson, Republican state Rep. Pat Grassley of New Hartford, voted for the bill?

I don't think Grassley really believes a majority of the U.S. House wants to “pull the plug on grandma.” That's just the way Washington politics is played. And the senator is showing us that his priorities are playing politics and collecting more campaign contributions from drug and insurance industries.

If you want an example of a bipartisan success at health reform, look at how Iowans made our health care for children the best of all 50 states.

A key part is hawk-i, which helps kids from working families. Most of their parents are employed, making these families ineligible for poverty-based health programs. Yet their employers don't provide family health insurance and these families can't afford costly private insurance.

As legislators, we asked Iowa health care leaders to design a children's health insurance program that would cover checkups and preventive care. We allowed private insurers to compete to offer this plan. This competition helps lower costs.

Families contribute according to ability, and a state and federal partnership covers the rest.

Hawk-i is a big success. When it comes to insured and uninsured Iowa adults, however, we need national leadership. If we do nothing, Iowans with insurance will see their yearly premiums go up by $8,611 in the next decade.

Failing to pass reforms means we will continue to see 70 Iowans a day lose their health insurance when they change their jobs, lose jobs, move or become seriously ill. Rising deductibles and co-pays will continue to push Iowans with insurance into bankruptcy.

It is difficult to address these problems on a state-by-state basis. That's why I support national legislators who are working to protect our choice of doctors, hospitals and insurance plans; reduce costs to make health care affordable for all; and make sure everyone has health coverage even if they lose their job, change jobs, move, or get sick.

Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, is a state senator.