House Journal: Page 58: Tuesday, January 14, 2003
However, access to quality healthcare, even in Iowa, remains threatened. An unfair
Medicare reimbursement system, rising costs of prescription drugs, and the exploding
costs of Medicaid all will test our commitment to the value of quality healthcare.
Let me be clear. We will fight whenever, wherever, and for as long as it takes for a
fair Medicare reimbursement system in this state.
We will negotiate whenever, wherever, and for as long as it takes until Iowa seniors
have fair drug prices.
We will negotiate whenever, wherever, and for as long as it takes for strategies to
control Medicaid costs without limiting access to quality healthcare. I want to thank
Senator Kramer, in particular, for her efforts in these areas and pledge to work with
the President of the Senate and the General Assembly to maintain quality healthcare.
To remain true to our values and to extend hope and opportunity to all, we must
protect those vulnerable Iowans who cannot protect themselves. Thousands suffering
from mental illness - vulnerable Iowans - do not have access to the treatment they
need. The fact is that one out of every four Iowa families have family members touched
by mental illness. Barriers exist to the quality care they need.
Let us stop the needless suffering. Iowa should lead the nation with the highest
percentage of residents with mental health and substance abuse coverage. Let us
make the enactment of mental health parity a landmark for which this General
Assembly will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.
But people with mental illness, mental retardation, or other disabilities need more
than access to quality medical care; they need access to basic community resources that
most of us take for granted - like housing, transportation and job opportunities - so
they, too, can participate in the American dream.
This goal has been a personal passion for Lt. Governor Sally Pederson. That is why
I have asked her to lead the effort to transform our system of services to respond more
effectively to the needs of those with disabilities.
Changes in the system will be directed by a commission of stakeholders created
through bipartisan legislation passed last year. The Lt. Governor will continue to work
with the commission and Republican and Democratic legislators to create a system
that supports self-determination, self-sufficiency, and independence.
It is our goal over the next four years to substantially increase residential housing
and workplace opportunities through public/private partnerships and leveraging funds
in new and innovative ways. I promise you this - we will make the largest investment
in housing for people with disabilities in Iowa history.
And we will ask you to give the Department of Inspections & Appeals the authority
to regulate adult day care facilities for dependent adults and seniors, so that families
can feel secure about the quality of care their loved one is receiving.
In a special land where stewardship is a value and virtue, knowing that we have
over 150 rivers and streams, a number likely to grow, impaired by pollution should be a
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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