Gomers -- What's going wrong

LACK OF COVERAGE: The increasing number of uninsured or underinsured people in recent years has pushed the amount of uncompensated care by Iowa hospitals to 70 percent more compared to 2000, hitting $851 million in fiscal year 2010. The trend puts more price pressure on premiums for people with insurance and strains Medicaid funding.

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BAN BILL ADVANCES: Sadly, the effort to ban traffic cameras statewide still lives. The proposal that would snub local control as well as evidence that cameras produce safer streets in targeted areas, including Cedar Rapids, moved ahead when an Iowa House committee approved a bill Thursday for floor debate.

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THIS BAN AT RISK: We saw merit in banning lead shot when the state authorized dove hunting last year. We think the arguments against the steel-shot ammunition alternative aren't convincing when compared to the dangers of lead to wildlife. But now the Iowa House has overturned the state Natural Resources Commission's ban. That move mostly looks like a political statement against the controversial dove hunting issue.

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