Senate Journal: Page 42: Tuesday, January 14, 2003
the meantime, college tuitions continue to go up and some students may be discouraged
from attending. That is why this legislature should restore funding to the important
work-study program to empower students to earn their way through college.
Barriers to reaching our 90/90 goal must also be removed. Today, a disparity exists
in educational opportunity in our state.
Very small school districts with high schools of less than 100 students find it
increasingly difficult to provide the range of opportunities necessary for success. Now,
this barrier can be removed through collaboration or consolidation. The creation of a
Virtual Academy allowing access to students to online courses and Regional Academies
enabling schools to combine their course opportunities will help reduce the disparity.
For those districts where consolidation provides the only answer, we should provide
financial incentives to encourage school consolidation.
Now some believe that a financial disparity in education exists. For more than a
generation, based on a study of school finances, Iowans operated under the belief that
the school funding formula promoted equity. Much has changed since that study—and
the times call for a new study of school finances. If inequities exist, they must be
addressed. Our values require it. Hope and opportunity will depend on it.
Iowans have a right to expect quality healthcare. We’ve worked hard to extend that
right to all of our children. Today, we protect almost 95 percent of our youngsters by
providing access to healthcare through Medicaid, HAWK-I, our children’s health
insurance program, or other private insurance. We take pride in knowing almost
90 percent of adults are also covered.
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 has 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.
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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