Opinion: Hold your state legislators accountable if you want real change

The hot topic in the Congress is the Affordable Care Act. The emphasis is on bringing down the cost of health insurance. In a perfect world, the cost of health insurance is a reflection of the actual costs of health care. Bring down the actual costs of health care and the cost of insurance offered on an even playing field will come down accordingly, with fair competition. The cost of insurance is the result of the cost of health care, which is NOT being addressed. There has not been a conversation to bring down the cost of health care.

When is the last time an honest discussion of tort reform occurred either in the Congress or the Iowa Legislature? True tort reform in health care will substantially bring down the cost of health care. Along these lines, limiting law suits should encourage the medical staff not to require expensive tests that the medical profession feels would be an extremely “long shot cause” but ask for just to cover a potential lawsuit.

When is the last time the Congress attempted to allow citizens to purchase their prescription drugs outside of the United States? Purchasing the same drugs in Canada or Mexico would again substantially bring down the cost of health care.

A couple of years ago, Iowa provided large corporations huge commercial property tax reductions. Iowa is now $245 million short of revenue this budget year.

Minnesota six years ago had the foresight to tax those making $1.4 million or more a slight raise in income tax. Minnesota has money to work with. Why not take some of those excess monies and subsidize our medical schools here in Iowa to lower the cost of PA’s and Doctors who pledge to work in Iowa for a number of set years? A doctor who has a third of a million or more in medical school bills needs a substantial income when starting out a practice. In Iowa, our community colleges subsidize the cost of the industrial programs, making these programs affordable. Why not do the same with the medical profession?

Solution: When your state legislators hold their town hall meetings, hold their feet to the fire. Ask why they are not working on honest medical tort reform; ask why the State is not holding down the cost of medical school training plus graduating additional doctors? Insurance is not the answer for rising health care costs, these and allowing drugs to be purchased out of country will be a good start! Don’t take NO for an answer!

Stan Walk
St. Ansgar, Iowa

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