Capitol Comments
Affordable Health Care for More Iowans-Signed into Law
Expanding affordable health care for more working Iowans was a top priority during the 2013 session.
Our bipartisan work led to the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan. It’s Iowa’s approach to implementing the federal Affordable Care Act, which requires states to provide health care coverage to everyone below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (about $16,000 a year for a single person).
The goals of the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan include:
- Making quality health care coverage available to 150,000 low-income Iowans who are currently uninsured.
- Controlling health care costs for everyone by reducing the $1 billion in charity care provided each year by Iowa hospitals and rewarding health care providers for keeping costs down.
- Focusing on prevention and improving health, which will help Iowa achieve the title of healthiest state in the nation.
The Iowa Health & Wellness Plan will begin on January 1, 2014. Iowans can sign up for coverage under this Plan or get private insurance through the “Health Insurance Marketplace.”
Working adults with no insurance and making less than $15,414 a year will qualify for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. The benefits package will be based upon state employee health insurance plans plus some additional services, including mental health. The plan will use the existing Medicaid provider network.
The federal government will pay for 100% of costs for the first three years and then pick up no less than 90% of the costs after that. If the federal government does not fulfill its promise on funding, the bill includes an opt-out provision for Iowa.
See the number of Iowans eligible for the program in your county here.
In addition, there will be tax credits available, on a sliding scale, for certain families and individuals who have an income below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level and who obtain an insurance plan through the health benefits exchange. For a family of four, the income limit would be $94,200 to qualify for a tax credit.
More details will be released in the late summer and early fall on how Iowans will be able to apply for and enroll in the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. Iowans can sign up for coverage beginning October 1. In the meantime, if you want to learn more or start looking into your insurance options, go to www.healthcare.gov. This official federal government site will answer your questions about premiums, purchasing insurance, qualifying for help and more. The federal government has also established a toll free call center that is open 24 hours. That phone number is: 1-800-318-2596.
2013 Successes Will Improve Health, Wellbeing for More Iowans
Our efforts to expand access to quality, affordable health care got most of the attention this session, but it wasn’t Iowa’s only health care success. Legislators worked together on a variety of initiatives that will help improve our health and wellbeing. They include:
• Ensuring Iowans with disabilities and mental health concerns continue to get the help they need, as Iowa transitions to a more efficient regional system of providing services (HF 160, SF 452).
• Investing in supports and services for families living with autism (SF 446, HF 648, HF 638).
• Getting kids screened for vision problems so that they are prepared to be successful in school (SF 419).
• Providing funding to inspect and investigate complaints at Iowa health care facilities (HF 603).
• Expanding access to tobacco cessation counseling through the Iowa Tobacco Quitline (SF 202).
• Preventing fraud by providing more tools for Iowa’s Department of Human Services to identify problems, collect overpayments and impose civil penalties associated with Medicaid (SF 357).
Governor’s Vetoes May Hurt Vulnerable Iowans, Public Safety
Over the last several years, Iowa has been working on a better way to provide mental health care and disability services for Iowans. We are now in the middle of a statewide reorganization of our mental health system.
During the 2013 session, legislators worked in a bipartisan way to help ensure that nobody “falls through the cracks” as the state transitions to a new regional mental health system. Unfortunately, Governor Branstad’s vetoes last week, of crucial mental health funding, could jeopardize public safety and the care of vulnerable Iowans.
Effective, accessible mental health services can prevent many people from entering the criminal justice system. State corrections officials have told legislators that Iowa prisons are the largest mental health facilities in the state, with more than half of Iowa’s inmates suffering from mental illness or substance abuse disorders.
According to an Iowa Poll in February, 74 percent of Iowans believe that the “lack of available treatment for those with mental illnesses” is a major factor in contributing to gun violence.
Some of the Governor’s vetoes that may hurt Iowans struggling with mental illness, their families and the public’s safety include:
• Vetoing $13 million for Iowa’s mental health safety net (HF 648). Legislators voted to set aside this money to prevent those in need from “falling through the cracks” during the transition to a regional system. With the Governor’s veto, many counties will be forced to make cuts to services, denying essential services to people who need them.
• Vetoing $8.7 million to reduce waiting lists for home and community based services that help kids, seniors and Iowans with disabilities (SF 446). The Governor claims that funding to shorten the waiting list for services is not a successful long-term solution. But as we transition to a regional system—and with the state’s budget surplus at an all-time high—we must do what we can to avoid unintended consequences.
• Vetoing improvements to Iowa’s mental health advocate system (SF 406). After years of work and input from the courts, advocates, public safety officials, counties and the Department of Human Services, we voted to move Iowa’s mental health advocate program to the Department of Inspections & Appeals. The Governor’s veto means mental health advocates will continue to work at the county level, which has been an inconsistent and inefficient system, statewide.
Other News
Cedar Rapids Company Expands
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board has awarded financial assistance to Danisco to expand in Cedar Rapids. Danisco is expanding their current Cedar Rapids site that will support growth in the company’s North American operations. The board approved an award of $55,000 in direct financial assistance and tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs program for Danisco to create 11 new jobs. The project will have a capital investment of $19.85 million.
New Mobile App for Iowa Parks & Recreation Activities
When you’re looking for things to do, check out a free new mobile app for our state parks and recreation areas. Download the app at http://iaparks.org and you’ll be able to:
• Decide which park to visit by searching for activities or by region.
• Look up park information, including rules and regulations – helpful for fishing and boating.
• View upcoming park events, which are updated in real time.
• Make overnight reservations when you’re planning an extended stay.
• Use GPS map features to mark waypoints and record and share your trails.
• Access Healthy & Happy Outdoors, a statewide database of more than 30 types outdoor activities at more than 1,600 state and county parks and recreation areas.
Have a Happy and Safe Independence Day (4th of July) !!
— Representative Art Staed
Constituent and friend, Helane Golden, invited me to visit the Jane Boyd Community Center, and I’m glad I did. Helane volunteers at Jane Boyd….and Youth Development Director, Nick D’Amico gave me a tour. Their mission is “to enhance the academic emotional and social well-being of children and families in our diverse community…” In keeping with Jane Boyd’s vision, the Community House is providing numerous services for youth and adults including preschool, after school programs, tutoring, recreation, outreach services, computer lab and summer day camp, all with a variety of special interests programs.
To find out more about this program, to contribute or volunteer, click here:
http://www.janeboyd.org/Home_Page.php
The U of I Children’s Hospital groundbreaking ceremony was held today in Iowa City. (Shown here with Senator Grassley’s Regional Director, Fred Schuster; and State Representative Sally Stutsman.) Last year, the Children’s Hospital cared for 55,866 patients from every county in Iowa, every state in the United States, and eight countries. Speakers included young people who have received excellent care at the hospital. Special guest speakers, Doug and Robin Wall of Cedar Rapids, shared a piece of their son Drew’s story and his advocacy for cancer survivorship and amputees. Sadly, Drew died last Nov. 26. Drew’s friend, Bryan LaRue, is pictured above with Susan and parents Chad & Cindy LaRue. Bryan is a member of the UI Children’s Hospital youth advisory council. He gave wonderful remarks on the planning and design of the hospital that will be child-friendly and meet the needs of patients and families.
United Way partnered with Prairiewoods to hold six community conversations focused on addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences within our communities. The conversations are based on a book entitled, “The Abundant Community” co-authored by Peter Block and John McKnight. The book promotes the idea that we can create change by having small conversations and by sharing our gifts and talents to help meet the needs within our communities. At the third of six ACEs Community Conversation, we broke into small groups to discuss what we can do and what the outcomes might be in Education, Screening, Resources, Supports, Partnerships and Trauma-Informed Services. You can participate in these conversations which are held the last Tuesday of the month. Next one is July 30th at the Human Services Campus.
NAMI hosted a presentation from Magellan Health Services about the statewide Integrated Health Program. The audience consisted of representatives from Four Oaks, Tanager Place, DHS, Abbe Center, NAMI and other citizens interested in healthcare transition and coordination. Some participants raised concerns about implementation and transition to Integrated Healthcare Homes, and the guarantee of needed services for clients. I’m glad I was there to listen.
A meeting with representatives from Linn County health care, local hospitals, free clinics and other providers was organized by Cindy Fiester of Linn County Public Health. The discussion was centered around how to handle the large number of patients without health insurance who will need referrals to receive ongoing care, since Iowa Care is stopping new enrollments as of July 1 and the new health care system will not be in effect until January 1, 2014. For further information on the changes go to: http://www.ime.state.ia.us/
Cedar Rapids-based small business, In Tolerance, specializes in delivering precision-machined parts. They are a prime supplier to Rockwell Collins, and the company’s diverse customer base includes clients throughout the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico who represent leading medical, aerospace, communications, food processing, and the military. In Tolerance hosted a group at the Quad Cities air show, where I visited with the president, Robert Becker, and general manager, Jack Hardin. It was also a special treat to visit with Col. Hubert Looney, an L-3 pilot who was with the B-25J crew from St. Louis. Their plane is one of the most famous bomber types of WWII. The planes that flew in the air show represented a broad history of aviation. The air show was a reminder that even the smallest precision part in a plane has a significant role in aviation and in Iowa’s economy.
Read More from the Iowa House
To read the rest of my Statehouse News go to: http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/6-28-13.html
