Health Care Reform Update: “Mom, they’re invading our Capitol!”

My darling daughter, Meredith, who just finished her freshman year at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, is an intern in Representative Bruce Braley’s office in Washington, D.C.  I was in D.C. to lobby for comprehensive health care reform last Thursday, and met up with Meredith during her lunch hour at the corner of the big health care rally.

“Wow, look at all the people,” she exclaimed.

“Oh, does that seem like a big crowd to you?” I asked, having been in much larger crowds the few times I marched in D.C. for other causes.

“Mom, they’re invading our Capitol!”

Supporting Meredith’s impression, an article in The Hill, referred to us as a “horde!”  Meredith definitely felt like the health care activists were omnipresent that day, even though, as far as I know, no one actually descended on Representative Braley’s office! We extended the lines to get through security at the House office buildings out to the streets. (And it was hot! Sorry, people who work there!) We filled the elevators. When we stopped for a much needed snack at the Longworth House Office building, the line at the snack shop went way down the hall. People who work in those offices really noticed us, and asked what we were about. Apparently, the corporate lobbyists they are used to seeing, travel in smaller packs (which they make up for by bringing bigger gifts, I suppose).

We came from Iowa (roughly thirty of us) and every other state to tell our Senators and Representatives that we want quality, affordable health care for all – now! And we made a strong push for the public plan option, as the best means of reining in the cost of health insurance by having an efficient, good quality health care plan run by the government (like Medicare) to compete with the private insurance companies. I came with the Change That Works (SEIU) group, but other unions, HCAN (Health Care for America Now), and faith groups (like Quad Cities Interfaith) also sent citizen-activists to lobby.

The Iowa group had probably twenty-five people cram into Representative Tom Latham’s office, and considering the size of the group everyone did an excellent job of making their points by drawing on their personal experiences.

One gentleman from the other side of the state owns a small business and has provided health insurance for his employees for years. A few days before going on this trip he got a notice from his health insurance company that they were raising his rates by eighty percent! It would cost $2000 a month for a family plan, and that was with a $4000 deductible. Besides business people and union members, we had a chiropractor, at least three M.D.’s, and many nurses.

We also visited Representative Dave Loebsack, Representative Leonard Boswell (we talked to his health care policy person, a sharp young woman, since the Congressman had to go vote), the Senate Finance Committee Republican staff, and Senator Tom Harkin (we just said “hi”, as we pulled him out of a committee meeting on… health care reform!).

For those of you keeping score at home, Representatives Loebsack and Boswell (and of course, Braley) are with us on the public plan option, and the House has a draft bill that includes it. It would be nice to call or email them to thank them. Meredith told me all the calls on “cap-and-trade” were from those opposed to the bill, and it was hard to take all those people yelling at her. So don’t let the offices hear only from the other side. And it wouldn’t hurt to call and thank Senator Harkin as well. While he has been supportive, the public plan option is in extreme jeopardy in the Senate.

Representative Latham is against a public plan option. I hope to get more details from his office as to why and write about that later.  But he could obviously use some calls. And of course, Senator Grassley was on television saying we need to make sure there is no public plan option, about the same time as his Republican Finance Committee staffers were telling us it was still on the table. At one of the rallies on Wednesday I wrote my third letter to Senator Grassley on the issue. If you’ve only called or written once, please try again. Sigh.

Well, I may have to ask our intrepid editor, Trish Nelson, for two posts this week, I learned so much in D.C.! But this one is long enough. Keep up the good fight!

Alta
Price is a physician practicing Pathology in Davenport, Iowa. One of
the original Deaniacs, she stays involved with Democracy for America,
Iowa, and the Quad Cities. She advocates for quality, affordable health
care for all, primarily as a volunteer with Progressive Action for the
Common Good (Health Care Reform Issue Forum).  Watch for Dr. Price's Health Care Reform Update every Tuesday here on Blog for Iowa.  E-Mail Alta Price

Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame Celebration Through the Eyes of One Progressive

“…and your friends, baby, they treat you like a guest” – Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane

Blog for Iowa regular contributor and progressive activist, Paul Deaton, spent the day in Des Moines taking in the annual party ritual known as the IDP Hall of Fame Celebration.  Here is his report for BFIA.

by Paul Deaton

Des Moines, Iowa – Democrats in Iowa should be glad we have an Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame and that Sally Pederson and Tom and Christie Vilsack were inducted into it last night [Saturday]. In many ways, the successful Vilsack-Pederson campaign in 1998 was a turning point in a process that is changing the long Republican history of Iowa into something more relevant to modern times.

I remember hearing my in-laws, long-time Republicans from what is now Iowa’s 5th Congressional District, disparaging Vilsack’s opponent, Jim Ross Lightfoot, in their polite, small town manner before the election. It was an indication that Republican politicians had lost touch with their core constituency and that Vilsack-Pederson offered an Iowa that was more aligned with their values. After Vilsack-Pederson pushed the snowball down the hill, it did nothing but gain size and momentum. For this, many of us are thankful.

As a first time attendee to the “celebration,” I did not know what to expect and offer a few observations on what was a well planned and organized event.

Most engaging for me was the opportunity to meet new people. Democrats are friendly and willing to discuss ideas and the social world of Democrats. People from other parts of the state asked me about the conflict in the Johnson County Democratic Party after the election of Dennis Roseman to chair. My explanation that he had the votes and deserves our support did not seem to convince. The election of party chairperson in other counties does not appear to be as contentious as in Johnson County.

When I arrived at the tents to pick up my ticket, I asked about the receptions that were being held before the ceremony. I was told “it takes a lot of money to get into those.” I guess I didn’t look like I could afford “a lot of money.” The volunteers were polite, and I am patient, so eventually I got the explanation I was looking for which is that there are receptions and they require a certain donation. The more one contributes, the higher up the donor ranking were the people with whom one could socialize. After I laid down two twenties and a ten, my ticket was revised from red to green and I could attend the “Guest Reception,” which was a lot of fun.

Governor Culver bragged about the success of the event’s fund raising efforts, saying that more money had been raised this year than in any of the previous years of the Hall of Fame event. What Chet Culver does not understand is that it is false success when among the 2009 Hall of Fame Hosts are listed the powerful interests that stymie the efforts of the progressive movement to do what is right in Iowa and in Washington.

One asks what do Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, MidAmerican Energy, Planned Parenthood, the Iowa Medical PAC, Mediacom, the Iowa Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and other political action committees, business associations and corporations want with their donation besides access and favorable attention to advance their agendas? The Iowa Democratic Party, despite statements made during the speeches, is far from being the grassroots party we need it to become. Grassroots activism, in my view, needs to eliminate the influence of the large, moneyed entities. A good place to start would be to cease accepting corporate sponsorship of party events. This seems unlikely in a Culver administration.

The highlights of the program were the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus rendition of “Courage Lives,” the award of the John C. Culver Scholarships to Shea Kruger and Aaron Mohr and Tom Vilsack’s speech. The organizers indicated that the event would be recorded on video and made available on the IDP website. Once they are, it is worth listening to Vilsack’s speech as it was a nostalgic recounting of stories many of us had heard before about his campaigns and experiences. Nostalgia has its place in the life of Democrats.

Ceremonies tend to be formal and the 2009 Hall of Fame Celebration was no exception. There did not appear to be a lot of us plain folk in attendance. In fact, if I had not received a ticket through the Iowa Democratic Veteran’s Caucus, I would not have been there either. It is easy to find fault with the Democratic Party, but for those of us who seek a voice for social change, it is our best hope. Tom and Christie Vilsack and Sally Pederson did something positive for us during their administration and we should be glad they were recognized last night, even if the view of their induction was from the back rows of Sheslow Auditorium behind the Democratic Party elite.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County.  E-mail Paul Deaton

Krause to Grassley: Agree to Public Option for Increased Iowa Medicare Reimbursements

    

“An increase in Medicare reimbursement rates will benefit all Iowans.” - Bob  Krause

Bob Krause, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, is challenging Senator Charles Grassley to break the deadlock over health care reform by agreeing to a public provider option in exchange for increasing the Medicare reimbursement rates for Iowans.

Noting that legislation is stalled in the Senate over the question of creating a public provider option, Krause has suggested that Grassley could end the deadlock by dropping his opposition to the public option in exchange for insisting upon equity for Iowa in the Medicare reimbursement formula.

“I am calling upon Senator Grassley to be the statesman and come away with a reform bill that will benefit Iowa and the nation,” said Krause.   He noted that Grassley to date has been an advocate of a system in which private insurance companies provide all coverage.

Krause calls his proposal for Grassley a “Grand Compromise” that would benefit Iowans by creating greater equity in the Medicare reimbursement formula while also supporting a public provider option to compete with private insurance providers to reduce health care costs.

Pointing out that among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Iowa ranks 49th in reimbursements per Medicare enrollee.  The disparity began when the Medicare reimbursement formula was changed in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

“This has hurt the quality of medical care in Iowa as some doctors refuse Medicare patients because of the low reimbursement rate,” said Krause.  “On the flip side, continuing with only private providers for health insurance coverage hurts Iowans because it locks in a monopoly,” Krause contended.  “More than 80% of the health insurance market in Iowa is controlled by just two companies.”

“Having a public provider option for those who want it will provide competition for the insurance companies,” said Krause, “and an increase in Medicare reimbursement rates will benefit all Iowans.’

Krause will outline his “Grand Compromise” solution on Saturday afternoon during a press availability at the Des Moines Public Library in downtown Des Moines. For more information, go to Krauseforiowa.com

New Head of FCC Confirmed by Senate

Broadcasting & Cable

Great news!  The FCC has a new chairman!  And speaking of filing FCC complaints (scroll down to yesterday's blog post) -  maybe IBLTV will finally get some action on the PTD filed over three years ago.

The full Senate agreed by unanimous consent Thursday to confirm Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the FCC.

Genachowski is now cleared to take the helm, with acting Chairman Michael Copps returning to commissioner status after a roundly-praised spearheading of the final push toward the analog shutoff-initially slated for Feb. 17 before being postponed until June 12.

The president must still sign the commissioning papers and [Genachowski] must be sworn in, but historically that has happened in a matter of days. That means Genachowski could be presiding over his first meeting July 2, the FCC's next public meeting.

Still to be determined is the president's choice for the other Democratic seat – which Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein is vacating for a post at the USDA's Rural Utilities Service – and an empty Republican seat.

Genachowski, a former Harvard Law School classmate of Obama's, helped draft the Obama campaign's technology policy plan, which some at the time boiled down to “open government, open networks, and open markets.”

The FCC has to come up with a plan by Feb. 17 of next year -a sort of broadband hard date -to roll out broadband service to the nation.

At his confirmation hearing, Genachowski pledged his support for media diversity and ubiquitous broadband and his opposition to the fairness doctrine. He also said he would uphold indecency regulations but also looked to parental content controls as a way to manage media content. One of his first deadlines will be a late August report to Congress on the state of those content controls, both the V-chip/ratings system and cross-platform controls.

Free Press was thrilled. “We are thrilled that Julius Genachowski has finally been confirmed,” said Executive Director Josh Silver. “It's time for the FCC to tackle some of the pressing issues that have been put on hold, such as bringing fast, affordable, open broadband to everyone, spurring innovation and competition and diversifying media ownership.

The agenda awaiting Genachowski on day one is enormous but there is no doubt that he is the right man for the job. We are confident that the public interest will be at the forefront of the Genachowski FCC, and look forward to working with him.” 

(click here to read the entire article at Broadcasting & Cable)

Iowa's WHO Radio Crosses the Line – File Your FCC Complaint Here

“I might just remind you hell is a really hot, really forever place.” – Steve Deace, WHO Radio Talk Show Host, M-F 4-7.

BFIA found this video on YouTube via OneIowa.org.  Everyone should know what Iowans are hearing on WHO-Radio every day – hours and hours of this stuff, reaching a very large audience.   (We couldn't swear to it, but it sounds like Deace's fellow WHO conservative talker, Jan Mickelson, conducting the interview). 

What you can do about it:  Contact Clear Channel and remind them about their responsibility to air fair and balanced programming. 

And contact WHO-Radio management:
WHO-Radio Program Director Van Harden vanharden@clearchannel.com
WHO-Radio General Manager Joel McCrea joelmccrea@clearchannel.com
or Call toll free: 800-469-4295 or 515-245-8900 

Then, file a complaint with the FCC.  Here's how: 
(1) On the web form, select under complaint type, “Broadcast (TV and Radio), cable, and satellite issues. 
(2) Click “next” 
(3) Under complaint category, select “Unauthorized, unfair, biased, illegal broadcasts (does NOT include Obscene, Profane or Indecent material)” 
(4) click “next”
(5) Check the “unfair or biased programming (includes biased or distorted news stories by the media, broadcasting threatening or intimidating statements about an individual or a group)” box on the web-form.
(6) click “next” 
(7) Recommended method is “online form.”  Click on it.  OR
(8) You may email your completed complaint form and supporting documents to fccinfo@fcc.gov.  The complaint form is very easy to fill out. 

Grassley Challenger Krause Talks to BFIA about Sotomayor, Going Green, and Campaign Strategy (Part II)

BFIA: Governor Culver said on Iowa Press that you may have a primary opponent. Would you like to speculate on who you think may run?

BK: Well, there's been a number of names bandied around but no recent ones and at this point I don't know of a name. I know of people who have surfaced in the past but it is my understanding at this point that there is no one actively pursuing it right now.

BFIA: The only name that we knew of was Governor Vilsack before he was appointed as Agriculture Secretary.

BK: Yeah, some people were touting Vilsack and he may well have [run] if he had not gotten appointed, and then some people were touting Christie Vilsack, who would have been a very serious candidate, obviously. But she's involved in a health care grant….so it's been that and Washington activities of her husband, I think, that are pinning her down, so she doesn't appear to be on the radar screen. Geri Huser from Altoona was mentioned in an article. Tom Fiegen who was a state Senator was making some noises but when I got in he evidently dropped it. The only other one, of course, is Sal Muhammad who has announced. I don't know how serious he is. Those are about the only ones that I know of and I think they've all moved on.

I think in terms of my campaign, we've got a lot to offer and we've got the desire – which is a very important thing in politics – you have to want to do it – and you have to do it early because going against an incumbent you've got to have time to test the organization and see if you can get it to perform. And nobody else so far has expressed a willingness to do that, so I'm confident that I'll be the candidate, and if there is a primary I do have an organization such that whoever would come in on a primary would be challenged to get a comparable group together.

My work with veterans groups across Iowa has given me a network that has allowed me to hold a number of fundraisers already in different parts of the state, so we've had quite a bit of help and we're expanding from that to reach other groups. Last night we had a fellow come over, from Fairfield, he's 88 years old – he's a Quaker, a pacificst, and he is quite an enthusiastic supporter. He recited some of his poetry for us. There's a belief about the military that we like to be for defense, but we don't like to be used for war. So I do think there's a common bond where I think that many soldiers are probably more peace loving than anyone who wasn't in the military would ever realize.

So the supporters come in all shapes and sizes. And the growth in the number of people that have heard of us, that are tired of Republicans and Charles Grassley – there is quite a few of them. It's quite amazing and I feel like I'm carrying the flag for a very good cause with a lot of people who believe in what we're doing.

BFIA: Supporters obviously are going to look for evidence that a challenger of a long-time incumbent such as Senator Grassley can win. What can you share with would-be supporters that might convince them to invest their time, energy and possibly financial resources into your campaign for the U.S. Senate?

BK: In January, Grassley's approval rating was 71%; in April it was 59%. I haven't heard any more recent polls, but it's a substantial drop. I think it was in part because the Republican brand is shattered and he is a Republican – and a very staunch Republican – so there's a downward trend, and I think that's going to carry through election day.

We've got a lot in our favor – Senator Grassley will be 78 years old on election day and if he would be re-elected he would be 84 years of age when he left office. I think a key thing is that since he's been in office all these years, since 1958, he's tended to keep the same circle of friends, and that circle of friends that was advising him when he was a young state legislator and young Congressman are still advising him in 2009 and 2010. And their views or attitude and the type of advice they give him is always the same. It's part of that right-wing drumbeat. There's an old proverb if you give a man a hammer and that's his only tool, every problem requires a hammer. And I think Grassley is there.

BFIA: Conventional campaign wisdom is that challengers must strike the right balance between being aggressive in their criticism of the incumbent and yet getting out their own positive message. What is the primary message you want Iowans to receive about your candidacy?

BK: A green tone, such as what Governor Culver and Governor Vilsack did on energy in the state, wind energy and some other areas, is important to carry through on the national level. When I served in the Carter administration, one of my very good friends, Mary O'Halloran, was chair of the Energy Committee, and then she went down to Kansas City, and there was a number of innovative things done in the Carter administration. If those policies would have been followed, even partially over the next 30 years, they would have saved us economically and probably would have helped us in the Middle East, had we followed them and been really serious about energy independence. Even if gas prices go down, national security is too important to leave energy independence off the table.

There's been a green movement across the country where we try to make green buildings that are sustainable, we try to reduce our carbon footprint. There are a lot of things we can do to make America green. In Iowa we're a naturally green state.  We have farmers out in the fields, green grass, and Iowans are more subliminally green than in many parts of the country because we have green all around us. We do tend to think in ways that are helpful to a green movement.

BFIA: Speaking of farmers in the field, what should be the role of federal government and your role as U.S. Senator in solving environmental issues involving CAFOS, corporate farm pollution, etc.

BK: That is a tough nut…. At the federal level, you have the EPA water quality rules that we deal with, and what Iowa has historically done has been to go with the bare bones minimum, and that might be in some areas a wrong-headed philosophy by Iowa. I grew up in northwest Iowa, and this spring in February or March, I was up in Algona, a town of about 4000-5000 people and we stopped to gas up the car and got a snoot-full in the city limits of Algona – strong smells – and my wife, being a farm girl, is used to it. But how would you ever get a business to come into a place that smells like that? It involves the world of economics, and agriculture is tremendously important to Iowa.

We can have both, we can have a hog industry and do the pro-active things to clean up our water and clean up our air, because where is the hog industry going to go? Because you have the food here. The corn and the beans that feed the animals grow here, and this creates somewhat of a barrier of entry for other states to get into the business and it gives us probably enough of an advantage that we can still have what we want, which is clean water, less smelly, clean air, and still have a hog industry.

But the way we're doing it, it's almost like in the old days when people would discriminate in housing. We're creating red lines in rural areas, essentially blocking off all other development in order to keep a hog industry there, and I think that's a mistake.

BFIA: President Obama announced his nomination for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, a Princeton and Yale Law graduate from a working class family, the first Latina to be nominated for the Supreme Court. Senator Grassley, one of the top-ranking Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee – which will first handle Sotomayor's nomination – said that the judge will start with a “clean slate” going into her nomination vetting and hearings. Grassley voted against her nomination for 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in 1998 and since the “clean slate” comment, the GOP has ratcheted up the rhetoric, some calling Sotomayor a “racist.” Can you comment on this nomination and what it means?

BK: As you probably read in a number of places, Senator Grassley has conveniently been on both sides of whether or not to filibuster. When the last two Bush candidates for the Supreme Court came up, he called the filibuster an abuse of the process and now he's advocating for the other side where it does appear they're getting ready to try and box her in. What I'm hoping on this is that rational heads will prevail and perhaps some of the New England moderates in the party will come forth and break on this and that we'll get our nominee without a filibuster. I do expect that it is part of a pattern that has developed where we've got the fearsome forty that say if Obama is for it, they are against it. I think it is part of that pattern and I think that we can expect that, in the end, Grassley will probably vote against this nominee.

I think that is disappointing because she is an excellent candidate. She was first put on the appellate bench by Bush, so it should, in all reality, be a very non-partisan nomination. The thing that is kind of spooky about it, of course, is that Senator Grassley wants to become the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, should he win re-election, and so what we get from him this time around is a template for what we will probably get as far as nominees for his next term in office, should he be re-elected. So I think it is disappointing that he appears to be going the way he is, but it's not unexpected.

BFIA: How would Iowans be better off with you as our Senator vs. Senator Grassley?

BK: Well, I think you've got somebody who has a newer view for the future and how we relate to the rest of America. Senator Grassley grew up in a different time, he has served in a different time, and his horizon is limited by the years he's had in office and the expectation that he is at the end of his career.  Even if he serves another term, it would be his last term.

So I think the vision is important and that newness, progressiveness, willingness, ability to listen to those groups in Iowa that don't have money, that can't bring cash to the table like AIG executives [do], like pharmacy companies [do]. I can give people a voice at the table that they do not have today.

Check this space next week for Part III where we will discuss with the candidate health care, media reform, which Beatles song he is most like, RAGBRAI and more.

Grassley Hosting Fundraiser With Mortgage Industry Lobbyists, After Opposing Cramdown

“Sen.
Grassley appears to be cashing in from the mortgage bankers for his
recent vote to prevent bankruptcy judges from renegotiating the terms
of mortgages in order to prevent foreclosures….”

In late April, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment to the housing bill that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to provide relief for troubled homeowners by modifying mortgage payments. Among those who opposed the measure, which was known as “cramdown,” was Sen. Chuck Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

“It will cause interest rates to go up and will make it more difficult for people to get a mortgage,” the Iowa Republican said at the time.

Two months later, the people who benefited from Grassley's vote are poised to shower him with campaign donations. The senator is hosting a fundraiser on Monday evening with lobbyists and a political action committee representing, among others, key players in the mortgage and private equity industries.

The event will take place at the swank Capitol Hill restaurant, The Monocle, steps away from the U.S. Senate, and is soliciting donations of $2,500 to “host” or $1,000 for PAC or personal contributions.

“Sen. Grassley appears to be cashing in from the mortgage bankers for his recent vote to prevent bankruptcy judges from renegotiating the terms of mortgages in order to prevent foreclosures to keep people in their homes,” said David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public Campaign Action Fund. “The lobbyists and PAC hosting this event have made it clear that they will continue to fight against the types of financial market reforms now under discussion in Washington.”

(click here to read the entire article on Huffingtonpost.com)

Health Care Reform Update: The House Democrats’ Proposal

I am home for two days, between one of those non-relaxing, hectic vacations and heading off to D.C. to lobby for health care reform (see Karen Metcalf’s post from last Thursday to find out about our trip).

Although I wasn’t able to keep up with fast-unfolding events in Washington, I know that the House Democrats did release a draft bill representing the work of three House committees. You can read a summary of the bill and the actual 852 page draft discussion bill at Congressman Bruce Braley’s website (click on Issues and then Healthcare).

The New York Times has an article about the proposal. They bring up the high cost of the proposal (there are no cost estimates yet) and Republican objections based on cost (as well as other objections, of course). Why can’t we just say we’ll get the money from the same place as the defense contractors get their money? When it is for the military or waging war, we can spend money the government doesn’t have, so why can’t we do the same for health care? Yes, I realize this isn’t a long term solution, but once people see their personal health care costs go down, maybe they will be willing to support government health care spending with their tax dollars, just like they support military spending.

We’ll say “hi” to your Representatives and Senators while we are in D.C., but there is no substitute for a phone call or letter from you! Thank your House Democrats for including a robust public plan option, and tell your House Republicans you want them to support it, too!

Alta
Price is a physician practicing Pathology in Davenport, Iowa. One of
the original Deaniacs, she stays involved with Democracy for America,
Iowa, and the Quad Cities. She advocates for quality, affordable health
care for all, primarily as a volunteer with Progressive Action for the
Common Good (Health Care Reform Issue Forum).  Watch for Dr. Price's Health Care Reform Update every Tuesday here on Blog for Iowa.  E-Mail Alta Price