Standing up for Iowans’ health care

With everyday expenses climbing across Iowa, rising health care costs are placing an added burden on us, and it’s time to put Iowans first. That’s why Iowans for Affordable Healthcare (IAAHC) was started, to provide an independent, non-partisan voice for families and businesses who are being crushed by the rising cost and declining accessibility of care in our state.

Prices at the pharmacy counter keep climbing while hospital consolidations are adding hidden fees for everyday medical services. At the same time, health insurance premiums for Iowans have increased by 67%. Together, these costs are quickly beginning to outpace what Iowa families and small businesses can afford.

At IAAHC, our mission is simple: to make health care more affordable and transparent for every Iowan. We’re working to end hidden fees, lower prescription drug costs, and oppose costly mandates that drive up premiums. We support efficiencies like the recent Iowa law streamlining the physician loan repayment program to help address the health care workforce shortage and increase access to care in rural Iowa. We also back the extension of premium tax credits to keep coverage affordable and accessible for not only those getting health insurance through the ACA marketplace, but for all Iowans who could see increasing rates if those disappear.

One of the biggest challenges we face is the rise of “facility fees,” which are hidden costs added by hospitals and clinics that can dramatically inflate a patient’s bill. In Iowa, we have seen consolidations of health care services increase in the state, often by out-of-state private equity groups that buy local providers and then tack on outrageous facility fees, even for basic outpatient services. Recently, KCCI TV News reported that a longtime cancer patient saw her bill jump from a $20 co-pay to $807 overnight for the same treatment after the University of Iowa Hospital acquired Mission Cancer + Blood Center. This kind of billing abuse puts massive strain on hardworking Iowans.

We’re also calling attention to rising prescription drug costs. Pushed by large pharmaceutical companies and other special interest groups, the number of government mandates grows longer every session, each one potentially adding more costs that would ultimately fall on Iowa families. These and other costs get passed down to the single parent struggling to make ends meet, or the retiree on a fixed income whose prescription has doubled, or in some cases tripled in cost.

This organization gives a voice at the table for Iowans who are tired of being squeezed by a system that works for everyone except them. They deserve a fair, transparent, and affordable health care system.

This upcoming legislative session, Iowans for Affordable Healthcare will be at the Capitol advocating to stop expensive mandates, end hidden fees, and work toward policies that lower costs and expand access in every corner of Iowa.

I hope you will join us in this fight. Together, we can bring compassion back into Iowa’s health care system and ensure that every Iowan can afford the care they need.

Phil Jeneary is executive director of Iowans for Affordable Healthcare.