Constituents voice concern to Grassley about Senate health care bill

July 07--WEST BURLINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley fielded several questions from concerned constituents Thursday afternoon wondering how the latest health care bill was progressing in Congress.

Southeastern Community College in West Burlington hosted Iowa's senior Republican senator for an hour-long forum with college faculty and invited guests.

Grassley, 83, delivered only a few opening remarks before turning the conversation to a question and answer session with about 50 constituents gathered in a large classroom.

Questions and comments bounced across topics, ranging from what to do about North Korea and telephone scams to farmers' crop insurance and the Supreme Court.

But the forum's focal point centered on the Senate health care bill and how the chamber's 52 Republican lawmakers would vote.

"His question should have been the easiest one to answer but now it's the hardest one to answer because you'd like to have me tell you when it's going to happen," Grassley said in response to a question about the Senate bill. "I thought it was going to happen a week ago Monday and finish last Friday, but then on Tuesday we were told we can't move forward because we don't have enough of a consensus."

Currently, Congress is in the midst of its 10-day recess for the Fourth of July holiday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell initially set a goal to vote on the proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act before lawmakers went home for the holiday, but due to lack of support, a vote on the bill stalled.

"It's so obvious why things need to be done," said Grassley, who does not count himself among the handful of senators unsupportive of the bill in its current form. "The promises that were made under the Affordable Care Act have not materialized."

Republicans have campaigned on repealing former President Barack Obama's health care law since it was enacted in 2010, Grassley said, therefore "we gotta act."

"If you're going to keep the faith of the voters you've got to deliver."

Dave Schmitt, West Burlington superintendent, asked Grassley about his stance on the lack of public hearings paired with drafting the health care legislation.

"I'd sure like to know what that plan's going to look like before the vote comes up," Schmitt said.

He also voiced concern about the Senate's proposed cuts to Medicaid.

"If that occurs, it could be passing some of the responsibility to our local taxpayers," Schmitt said, explaining the reliance school districts have on Medicaid Part B funding, which provides services for children with disabilities. "Seventy-five percent of schools in Iowa spend their special ed money into a deficit. We use the Part B Medicaid reimbursements to help reduce that deficit. I just want you to be aware that if there are deep cuts in Medicaid, it's going to be passing that responsibility onto Iowa taxpayers."

Under the Senate proposal, Grassley said, changes to Medicaid would not take effect until 2020 and would be phased-in through 2025, which should give people enough time to adjust.

Medicaid is a federal program providing insurance to low-income and disabled Americans. According to estimates released in June from the Congressional Budget Office, 15 million Americans would lose Medicaid coverage over the next 10 years under the Senate bill.

One woman in the audience, who said she worked for a non-profit agency that provided services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, said she worried how a per-capita cap in Medicaid funding would affect her organization and their clients who depend on it for health care.

"It would devastate agencies like the one I work for and could mean life or death for the people with disabilities that we support," she said. "All of our funding comes from Medicaid."

A per-capita allotment, or block grant, would mean states are given a specific dollar amount from the federal government to provide Medicaid coverage, but the rest of the financial burden would be up to them to provide.

Last week, President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter about the health care debate, suggesting senators repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it down the road.

"If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!"

Grassley told constituents Thursday he disagreed with that approach, predicting it would cause more uncertainty for insurance providers and consumers.

Susan Dunek, dean of career and technical education at SCC, wanted to know the positive implications for Iowans if the current health care law was overhauled.

"Could you give me an example of how the changes that are proposed are going to benefit anyone in southeast Iowa?" Dunek asked.

After a five-second pause, Grassley listed several portions of the 145-page bill he considered positive, including more choices for consumers, fewer government mandates, an increased emphasis on health savings accounts and tax credits for people to put toward purchasing health care.

One woman in the audience explained how the ACA negatively impacted some small business owners that were self-employed and self-insured, because their choices were limited to comprehensive, and often times expensive plans, that included services they did not need or want.

"Now, your health care plans are dictated by law from Washington, D.C. -- one size fits all," Grassley said.

State Rep. Dave Kerr, R-Morning Sun, inquired about the recently released Environmental Protection Agency volume requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard and whether significant cuts to farmers' crop insurance would be imposed next year.

Grassley said his "No. 1 priority" for the next farm bill would be to preserve crop insurance subsidies, and he soon would write a letter to the EPA with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, asking the federal agency to reconsider some of its proposed requirements.

___

(c)2017 The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa)

Visit The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) at www.thehawkeye.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.