2020 IA Senate race: on Health Care

Eddie Mauro: Medicare for all (under age 55) who want it

We need to strengthen the current Medicare system and expand it to cover everyone 55 years of age and older. For employer-provided plans, Medicare at 55 will take on the highest-cost participants, and businesses will be left with younger and healthier participants and therefore better able to hold premiums and deductibles flat--if not reduce them. For those under the age of 55 we need to reform the Affordable Care Act to include a real public option. Medicare will be made available as a purchase option for everyone between the ages of 18-55 under the ACA. Medicare for All would be subsidized on a sliding scale for everyone with a household income of up to $40,500/year (individual) or $81,000/year (filing jointly).

Under the Mauro Plan, Medicare would be allowed to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices. In addition, the importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada will be allowed.

Source: 2020 Iowa Senate campaign website EddieMauro.com Feb 10, 2020

Eddie Mauro: Everybody needs to have health care in this country

I have a pre-existing health condition. I had to use my health care and spent 10 days in the hospital for surgery, intensive care. Everybody should get the kind of care that I have. For a large swath of people, it might be free and for another large swath of people, there might be a small fee. Obviously, as you grow in income capabilities you may have to pay a little bit more, but at the end of the day everybody needs to have care in this country. Source: The Oskaloosa Herald on 2020 Iowa Senate race Jul 19, 2019

Joni Ernst: Medicare-for-All would bankrupt rural health care systems

Theresa Greenfield: Senator Ernst's vote could close our rural hospitals.

Ernst: The Democrats' plan, which would eventually lead us to Medicare for all, would actually bankrupt about 52 of our rural health care systems. So I think that there are ways to address the issues. But certainly putting our rural constituents on the hook is not the way to do it. We are seeing OBGYN's leave the rural areas already because of low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

Greenfield: I don't support Medicare-for-all. But I do support strengthening and enhancing the Affordable Care Act, making sure that everyone has health care and in addition to that building in a public option which creates competition and brings down those prices. Senator Joni Ernst did the exact opposite. She voted multiple times to end the Affordable Care Act, devastating health care for so many Iowans who rely on coverage for pre-existing conditions, about 1.3 million Iowans.

Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Joni Ernst: Replace ACA but provide "backstop" for expensive cases

Theresa Greenfield: Senator Joni Ernst voted multiple times to end the Affordable Care Act, devastating health care for so many Iowans who rely on coverage for pre-existing conditions, about 1.3 million Iowans.

Ernst: One of the plans I supported was a bipartisan plan which would provide a government backstop for those that have the most expensive medical cases, those that do have pre-existing conditions. Making sure that the federal government is caring for those and providing equal access to health care products, making sure that they are affordable, that should be the federal government's role.

Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Joni Ernst: COVID: I wear a mask in public, but mandate is unenforceable

Ernst: I do wear a mask when I'm out in public and when I'm back home in Red Oak even if I know I'm probably the only person that is going to be in the store other than the clerk I do wear a mask. I think it's really important that we set the example by wearing the mask but certainly to mandate it, we know that it's unenforceable and we know that it doesn't work. There is a mask mandate, Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Kimberly Graham: Advocates universal, single-payer government coverage

In the world's richest nation, contended Graham, diabetics should not have to ration their insulin, and workers should not be tethered to dead-end, low-wage jobs just for the health insurance. She said 30,000 to 45,000 Americans die every year because of lack of access to health care. She advocates universal, single-payer government coverage. Source: Des Moines Register on 2020 Iowa Senate race Dec 16, 2019

Michael Franken: Improve ObamaCare; add Medicare public option

Every American should enjoy the kind of comprehensive healthcare that a service member enjoys in the U.S. military. Health care should include lifetime dental, mental, and preventative healthcare. Mike will move to fully implement and improve upon the Affordable Care Act and place a Medicare public option on the exchange. Banning private health insurance is not the direction needed to ensure every American has access to quality care. Moreover, Medicare should be available for all who want it.

Mike knows the challenge associated with mental illness. Expanded treatment opportunities are desperately needed. Access and inpatient options need to be expanded to treat the chronic shortage of opportunities for this vital aspect of healthcare. Similarly, Mike considers dental care indispensable to quality of life. Therefore, it should be part of an expanded Affordable Care Act and not a mere luxury for those with high-end insurance plans.

Source: 2020 Iowa Senate campaign website FrankenForIowa.org May 27, 2020

Theresa Greenfield: Expand access to affordable health care

Received this e-mail from U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate, Cory Booker (D. NJ), in support of Theresa Greenfield's (D. IA) U.S. Senate campaign: I'm writing today about my friend, Theresa Greenfield, who is running to be a different kind of leader in Iowa. She's fighting for the issues we all care about: expanding access to affordable health care, protecting important programs like Social Security and Medicare, and investing in public education. Source: DailyKos blog on 2020 Iowa Senate race Dec 9, 2019

Theresa Greenfield: Strengthen ObamaCare; create public option

Health care is a right, not a privilege. Theresa supports access to quality, affordable health care --no matter who you are or where you live. That means strengthening our existing laws like the Affordable Care Act, creating a public health insurance option for Iowans to buy into, and working to bring down the cost of co-pays, prescription drugs, and health care as a whole. Source: 2020 Iowa Senate campaign website GreenfieldForIowa.com Jun 2, 2020

Theresa Greenfield: Medicaid expansion, but not Medicare-for-All

Greenfield: Iowans have pre-existing conditions and they want those protections. Families want to keep their children on their health insurance. Goodness knows Medicaid expansion has kept our rural hospitals open. I've just talked to too many Iowans across this state who already drive 20, 30 miles to get health care. Senator Ernst's vote could close our rural hospitals.

Ernst: The Democrats' plan, which would eventually lead us to Medicare-for-All, would actually bankrupt about 52 of our rural health care systems.

Greenfield: I don't support Medicare for all. But I do support strengthening and enhancing the Affordable Care Act, making sure that everyone has health care and in addition to that building in a public option which creates competition and brings down those prices. Senator Joni Ernst did the exact opposite. She voted multiple times to end the ACA, devastating health care for so many Iowans who rely on coverage for pre-existing conditions, about 1.3 million Iowans.

Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Theresa Greenfield: Health care is a right; build in a public option

Theresa Greenfield: Senator Joni Ernst voted multiple times to end the Affordable Care Act.

Greenfield: I believe health care is a right and we need to make sure that everyone has access to high quality and affordable health care. The way to do that is to strengthen and enhance the Affordable Care Act, build in a public option, creating competition, bringing down those prices and making sure that Medicare can negotiate for those prescription drug prices saving seniors a whole bunch of money, putting some nickels back in their pocket, and saving taxpayers about $500 billion.

Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Theresa Greenfield: COVID: I do support a statewide mask mandate

Ernst: I do wear a mask but to mandate it, we know that it's unenforceable and we know that it doesn't work.

Greenfield: When it comes to wearing a mask, I do support a statewide mask mandate. Iowa has some of the highest cases of infections at this point in time and of course even the White House Task Force wants Iowa to have a mask mandate. We need testing. We need contact tracing. We need PPE for everyone and emergency protection standards.

Source: Iowa Public Television transcript of 2020 Iowa Senate debate Sep 28, 2020

Theresa Greenfield: Expand ACA, include public option

We need to do more to expand access to quality, affordable health care. I support strengthening the Affordable Care Act with a public option and investing in telehealth. We also need to stop the attacks on Medicaid expansion, which has been a lifeline for our rural health care hospitals and providers. Source: ScienceDebate.org on 2020 Iowa Senate race Nov 3, 2020

The above quotations are from 2020 Iowa Senatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Health Care. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Iowa on Health Care. Click here for more quotes by Joni Ernst on Health Care.
*Candidates and political leaders on Health Care:*
*Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:* GA:Chambliss(R) IA:Harkin(D) MI:Levin(D) MT:Baucus(D) NE:Johanns(R) OK:Coburn(R) SD:Johnson(D) WV:Rockefeller(D) *Resigned from 113th House:* AL-1:Jo Bonner(R) FL-19:Trey Radel(R) LA-5:Rod Alexander(R) MA-5:Ed Markey(D) MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R) NC-12:Melvin Watt(D) SC-1:Tim Scott(R)	*Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:* AR-4:Tom Cotton(R) GA-1:Jack Kingston(R) GA-10:Paul Broun(R) GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R) HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D) IA-1:Bruce Braley(D) LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R) ME-2:Mike Michaud(D) MI-14:Gary Peters(D) MT-0:Steve Daines(R) OK-5:James Lankford(R) PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D) TX-36:Steve Stockman(R) WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)	*Retired House as of Jan. 2015:* AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R) AR-2:Tim Griffin(R) CA-11:George Miller(D) CA-25:Howard McKeon(R) CA-33:Henry Waxman(D) CA-45:John Campbell(R) IA-3:Tom Latham(R) MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R) NC-6:Howard Coble(R) NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D) NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R) NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D) NY-21:Bill Owens(D) PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R) UT-4:Jim Matheson(D) VA-8:Jim Moran(D) VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Nov 18, 2023