The following is a legislative update from Rep. Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake:
Career Opportunities and Affordable Health Care Options Move Forward
We have officially reached spring and I am really hoping that warm weather will soon follow. It’s normally around this time that Rep. Lee Hein, a colleague and farmer from the eastern part of the state, starts giving me the daily soil temperature report. That’s usually a good sign that we are reaching the end of the legislative session. However, we still have important work to get done before we can adjourn for the year!
Future Ready Iowa Act Heads to Governor’s Desk
This week, I had the opportunity to participate in a workforce development round table with Governor Reynolds and President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka. We toured the Waukee APEX, which is a collaboration between the area schools, the local community colleges, and local businesses to provide students with experiences work-based experience similar to an internship or apprenticeship. Research and special projects are done both at APEX and at businesses sites.
It’s amazing what can be accomplished when schools, community colleges, trade organizations, and local businesses are all brought to the table to partner together.
The scheduling of Ivanka’s visit was incredibly timely. On that same day, the Iowa Senate unanimously passed the Future Ready Iowa Act, which the House passed last week, and sent it to Governor Reynolds’ desk to be signed into law. Workforce development and Future Ready Iowa has been the Governor’s top priority this session, and I’m proud we could get that done.
Future Ready Iowa will help us build a skilled workforce pipeline by:
– Providing high school students with new education and career opportunities,
– Creating new job training and support programs, and
– Providing new financial assistance programs
Future Ready Iowa will help us achieve Governor Reynolds’ goal for 70% of Iowa’s workforce to earn a skill certification or college degree by the year 2025. It will help us more closely connect our schools, community colleges, and local businesses. It will make students aware of the most in-demand jobs in Iowa and provide them with first-hand, work-based learning.
I am confident that the The Future Ready Iowa Act will improve the lives of Iowans by helping workers attain the skills they need for high-paying careers. It will also help businesses grow and expand by ensuring they have the skilled workforce needed for a 21st century economy.
High Quality, Affordable Health Coverage for Iowans
We also took a step forward this week to provide Iowans with high quality, affordable health care options.
Over the last several months, I have heard dozens of stories from Iowa families and small business owners who struggling to afford health care coverage. Many of them have had to borrow money and go into debt simply to pay their skyrocketing health insurance premiums.
We can no longer wait on the Federal Government to act however, which is why this week we moved forward with some state-base solutions to address health coverage for Iowans.
One proposal will specifically help small businesses and self-employed folks by creating association health plans. This allows small businesses or associations to pool together as a group to lower health insurance costs. This spreads risk to a larger group of individuals which should lower premium costs for these small businesses and entrepreneurs.
A second proposal would allow Iowans to purchase a Health Benefit Plan. As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, Health Benefit Plans operate similar to insurance that was available prior to Obamacare, known as the Affordable Care Act. This type of plan will be helpful to self-employed individuals who have to purchase their own insurance, but don’t qualify for tax credits under Obamacare. People are currently paying $30-40,000 for health insurance. Health benefit plans are expected to be half the cost of plans available on the insurance exchange.
Obamacare has devastated Iowa’s insurance market, making coverage unaffordable for thousands of Iowans and decreasing choice for consumers. As a state, we are hamstrung by the Federal Government’s inflexibility in what we can do to move state-based solutions forward, but these options are a good thing for Iowans.
Ultimately, the issue of health care is something that the Federal Government must address. I am disappointed that they have been unable to reach some sort of solution that helps Americans afford health coverage. I am hopeful that they provide states with more flexibility and avoid the type of one-size-fits-all approach that clearly hasn’t work for Iowa.
Our state-based solutions will provide Iowans with high quality health coverage at an affordable price, something that is severely lacking under Obamacare.
