Smith Notices Sea Change
by Andrew Smith, Candidate, House District 40
This past week I've been doing a lot of door knocking, and I have to
tell you, something is happening, change is happening, and it's big.
People are angry, they are angry about the Medicare increases, they are
angry about prescription drugs, they are angry that the cost of health
insurance keeps going up and up and they want new leadership. They want
Democratic leadership. I truly feel that the Medicare increase was the
straw that broke the camel's back. I feel a real sea change, something
big, and something I haven't seen before.
I'm telling you, I've been door knocking all summer, meeting with folks
from all over District 40. I've knocked on thousands of doors,
but I now sense something different, a stronger resentment then I've
ever seen. The tide is turning, and our campaign is surging, and
whatever it was that happened to cause this change is something big.
To learn more about Andrew Smith, Democratic Candidate, Iowa House, District 40, Tama and Grundy Counties, click here and here. To contribute to his campaign, click here.
Iowa Hit Hard by Medicare Increase
Des Moines Register
Some Iowans may cut back on their coverage, and the state faces having to pay more for Medicaid, officials say
Sharply
higher Medicare premiums announced last week by the Bush administration
will have a double-barreled impact on Iowa, say state health-care
administrators.
Some
elderly or disabled Iowans, health officials predict, will cut back on
their medical coverage rather than pay the increase. And the state of
Iowa will have to deal with an even bigger crisis in paying for
Medicaid, the health-care umbrella for the poor.
“Sometimes,
one more peanut breaks the cart,” said Eugene Gessow, the state
administrator overseeing Medicaid in Iowa. “At this point, our ability
to absorb additional costs faces an enormous challenge.”
…$11.60 more per month
The
increase will cost Part B recipients $11.60 more per month – an
additional $140 or so annually – starting in 2005, bringing the monthly
premium to $78.20.
(Click here to read the rest of the article.)
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