Iowa Democrats’ counter-offer on health care access opens door ‘a crack’

DES MOINES – With plans to expand health care access for low-income Iowans stuck in a legislative conference committee, Iowa Democratic lawmakers broke the ice Thursday with an offer they hope leads to a compromise before the Iowa Legislature adjourns, possibly next week.

Democrats, who want to expand Medicaid to about 150,000 Iowans earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level, offered to waive co-pays for low-income Iowans seeking health care – except in the case of non-emergency visits to the emergency room. The offer would strengthen language calling for Iowans to improve their health and maintain an “opt-out” provision to protect the state if the federal government doesn't meet its Medicaid obligations.

“We have compromised on the top concerns of Gov. Terry Branstad and House Republicans,” Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said at a news conference May 9.

However, Democrats have not dropped their opposition to Branstad's plan which, she said, “spends more in federal, state and local property taxes to provide less help to Iowans.”

Republicans propose to cover Iowans whose incomes are up to 100 percent of poverty, or roughly 89,000 uninsured Iowans. Those earning between 101 and 138 percent of the poverty level would be covered by the insurance exchange that is part of federal health care reform.

Democrats offered few details of the plan they earlier shared with Republicans on a House-Senate conference committee trying to reach a compromise on Senate File 296.

“The concepts are still being developed,” Jochum said.

“I think we are actually moving a little closer to the middle,” she said. “I am hopeful that we are going to find some kind of a solution to this before we adjourn.”

There's a long way to go, according to Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan.

“I'm not saying it's not progress,” he said, but “we have one week left to go in this session, according to leadership, and this is some heavy lifting.”

The Democratic proposal “opened the door a crack, I would say, but I don't think it's eased the heavy lifting yet,” Johnson said.

Republicans indicated they will make a counter-offer Monday.

“Anything's possible, including a special session,” Johnson said.