ACA repeal leads topics
Repealing and replacing Obamacare took center stage among the many topics discussed during U.S. Senator Joni Ernst’s town hall meeting in Red Oak Saturday morning.
The lame duck president’s signature legislation, properly called the Affordable Care Act, has been a target of Republicans since its passage in 2009 and its subsequent enactment. With a Republican scheduled for inauguration as president and GOP control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, the clock is now ticking on the party to repeal and-or replace the act.
“The Affordable Care Act will be repealed. We know that,” Sen. Ernst told the gathering of approximately 75 people at the Montgomery County Family YMCA meeting room. She said there will have to be a replacement because the ACA has found its way into all aspects of health care. “There will be a transitional period, over at least two years,” Sen. Ernst said.
Her comments came in response to several questions from constituents.
One woman noted that her grandson relies on a special Medicaid waiver that funds his specialized food program. Absent that, his parents could not afford it.
“We are going to be very cautious with issues for people with pre-existing conditions,” Sen. Ernst said, agreeing that type of situation must be addressed for people who need the help the most.
One woman said she and her husband have health insurance and can pay the premiums, but their deductibles have skyrocketed. “I am insured, and I can’t afford to get sick,” she said. “You can’t expect families to have a $10,000 deductible. It’s unreasonable.”
In addition to retaining protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Sen. Ernst touted the benefits of children being eligible to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26 as something else that should be retained.
The senator said many options are being reviewed as a plan to replace the ACA is generated. She said one key to bringing down costs will be re-engage the free market and give people options for their health insurance plans. She said too many people had their affordable plans canceled and they were pushed into plans with higher deductibles and higher maximum out-of-pocket costs.
She added that states will be given options to implement plans, and added that creation of larger risk pools will help combat higher premiums.
“We are going to have insurance plans that cross state lines. There are a lot of counties in the country where there is only one provider available.”
“We have to get back to insurance plans and policies that work for people. For those who truly need assistance, there would be assistance,” Sen. Ernst said.
One man noted that there were problems with the health insurance industry that led to the creation of the ACA, and quizzed the senator about how the replacement plan would be better, given the high costs of medical visits and procedures.
Sen. Ernst said a lot of battling high prices is transparency. She said most people don’t ask what something costs before having a procedure. “Hospitals and clincis need to be up front about what the costs are,” she said.
“We did have issues before Obamacare was put in place,” Sen. Ernst said. “But we took a very big bite at something that we didn’t research enough.”
She said the plan is to step back and address specific issues and leave alone the things that were in place that worked.
Also on the medical front, one man suggested the federal government reign in spending by pharmaceutical companies. He said it would reduce prescription drug costs.
Trade matters
Trade was another major topic of discussion, and it’s one which may put the senator at odds with the incoming Donald Trump administration.
An individual asked Sen. Ernst about the future of trade, given the president-elect’s early stance about protecting American jobs. The man said China, Mexico and Canada are Iowa agriculture’s largest trade partners and a big part of what makes the ag economy go. China and Mexico are being targeted by President-elect Trump for tariffs.
“I’ve been a supporter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Sen. Ernst said, noting that neither presidential candidate supported the proposed trade agreement. She added that it’s impractical to draw too many hard lines because “90 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S” and American businesses cannot grow without access to those markets.
“Mr. Trump said he would develop bilateral agreements with these countries, and we will hold him to that,” the senator said.
WOTUS
Sen. Ernst said one of the important matters she addressed last week was meeting Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma Attorney General who has been nominated to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The senator said it was a good meeting, during which Pruitt agreed to uphold the national renewable fuels standard, which benefits ethanol, and that time was given to discuss the impact of the Waters of the U.S. rules put in place by EPA, that Ernst said makes nearly 97 percent of the land in Iowa under federal regulation for any type of construction or change in operation.
Birth control
Sen. Ernst said this year she will be forwarding legislation that will move birth control dispensing from prescription to over the counter. “I am pro-life. My thought is to prevent a pregnancy so it’s not terminated.” She said birth control needs to be reliable and available. By moving it to over-the-counter status, it removes going to the doctor, which may inhibit some women from seeking it.
Bills passed
The senator noted that in her first two years in office, she had seven bills reach the president’s desk for a signature, and that they were passed with bipartisan support.
She was asked about procedures regarding the combat veterans tax credit, and she referred the individual to one of her staff.
Other issues
• An individual requested a public comment period on changes to management of Missouri River be extended from 6o to 120 days. He said that for a person with a full-time job, navigating a 1,000-page document and making comments isn’t realistic to accomplish within 60 days.
• A man asked whether the national debt was now large enough to be concerned about in Washington, D.C., which drew more than a few laughs. Sen. Ernst said, “The budget we are working on now, unfortunately, continues to add to the national debt. We can’t cut our way out of the nationa debt; we have to grow our way out of it,” she said. Pushing tax reforms and business development is an avenue to do that, she said.
Town halls
The town hall meeting was the senator’s first of 99 to be held around Iowa during 2017. She also held meetings in Indianola and Winterset on Saturday before meeting with Clarinda Academy students that evening.
The senator noted that her staff has offices throughout Iowa and in Washington, D.C., and is available to help people with various matters regarding working with the federal government.