HEALTH CARE PROVIDER PUTS ZACH LAHN ON BLAST FOR PLEDGING TO CONTINUE REYNOLDS' MEDICAID MISMANAGEMENT

The following information was released by the Iowa Democratic Party:

In a new letter to the editor in the N'West Iowa REVIEW, a health care provider put Zach Lahn on blast for pledging to continue Kim Reynolds' privatized Medicaid disaster, which has made health care more expensive, denied care to thousands of Iowans, and made it harder for rural families to get the care they need.

Lahn recently dismissed the pain that Iowans are feeling due to Washington's cuts to Medicaid, which rip health care away from 110,000 Iowans, jack up premiums, and have already forced rural clinics to close. Lahn has spent his career trying to block people from getting health insurance and spearheaded a campaign to block Medicaid expansion in Montana, which would have kicked tens of thousands of people off their insurance.

Read more from Sheri Porter in the N'West Iowa REVIEW: Lahn won't fix Iowa's Medicaid mess

I run a day habilitation program in Sioux City. I have recently spent months trying to negotiate a fair rate for the services I provide, fighting a large for-profit managed care organization that covers six or more Medicaid plans for Iowa and other states. You can imagine what a small fish I am in their ocean.

I want to express how much of a disaster it would be to elect Zach Lahn. With the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa, our members currently have no providers for basic dental care. They have emergency options, but maintaining proper oral health is fundamental to overall physical health, as poor dental health can contribute to a variety of systemic conditions.

Our members have to travel two hours to Council Bluffs for treatment. The practice that does accept Iowa Medicaid has a waitlist of around 1,500 people.

When Iowa expanded Medicaid, Lahn called it "bad policy" and a "mess." The lack of access to quality programming and dental care is the mess. We can't afford to elect Lahn, who opposes Medicaid expansion and can't be trusted to protect Iowan's health care.