Iowa's senior senator Charles Grassley is rapidly becoming the Republican Party's chief obstructionist in the health care debate. The ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee is going on the offensive against President Obama and members of Congress who support comprehensive reform.

In a conference call Tuesday, Senator Grassley told Iowa reporters, "I don't think it's going to be possible to work it out with the administration because they're all over the field - all over the ball park."

This latest statement demonstrates the level of partisanship our senior senator has brought to the current health care debate. If anyone is "all over the field"- it's Senator Grassley. Here are just a few examples:

In a statement last week, Senator Grassley's spokesperson accused Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley of putting his "party duties as Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ahead of Iowans." In fact, Congressman Braley fought his political party's leadership to secure more equitable reimbursement rates for Iowa regarding public health insurance plans. Due to Congressman Braley's work, Iowa health care providers will finally be compensated fairly for their work.

Senator Grassley, on the other hand, admitted to putting his party duties ahead of Iowans. Days before his attack on Congressman Braley he told reporter Chuck Todd (NBC), "I'm negotiating for Republicans." Todd asked the Senator if he gets what he wants from negotiations, if he'd be willing to be one of 3 or 4 Republicans who vote yes for reform. Senator Grassley said, "Absolutely not. And I told the President that a week ago Thursday and I told [committee chairman] Max Baucus that over a period of three or four months....In fact, let me build on what you said, and why I say that I wouldn't be. I'm negotiating for Republicans."

At an August town hall meeting in Winterset, Senator Grassley told constituents, "you have every right to fear," when asked about the end-of-life planning provisions in House Resolution 3200. He later added that, "we should not have a government program that determines you're going to pull the plug on grandma."

Then, on August 23rd, Senator Grassley was asked by reporter Bob Schieffer (CBS 'Face the Nation'), "you're not saying that this legislation (H.R. 3200) would pull the plug on grandma?" Senator Grassley admitted, "I know the Pelosi bill doesn't intend to do that," adding later, "It won't do that."

The clearest indication that Senator Grassley is "all over the field" is the manner in which he closed his Tuesday conference call with Iowa reporters. Not 30 seconds after saying, "I don't think it's going to be possible to work it out with the administration," Grassley stepped back to say, "But, yes, I do believe it's possible to reach an agreement."

"The whole nation is holding their breath, waiting to see what proposals Senator Grassley's committee will produce. Yet his recent comments make it unclear whether the Senator truly plans to be a part of these negotiations. There is just no telling what he'll say next," SEIU Local 199 President Cathy Glasson said. "Senator Grassley could be a champion for the majority of Iowans and Americans - those who want to see a comprehensive health insurance reform bill passed. Right now, it seems he's more interested in being the champion of Republicans in Washington looking to play politics with our health care."

"Let me be clear: if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket. If we do not act, 14,000 Americans will continue to lose their health insurance every single day. These are the consequences of inaction. These are the stakes of the debate we're having right now."

That was President Obama on Wednesday. And the Des Moines Register agrees: delaying reform is not a solution to our health care crisis. We need action, and we need it soon. Today, we got further proof of the cost of doing nothing. Just look at the table released this morning by the Center for American Progress.

Within ten years, if we fail to address the rising cost of health care in America, the average health insurance premiums paid by families will nearly double, from $13,500 today to $22,400 in 2019. Oh but it gets worse - because in addition to rising premiums, Americans lucky enough to have health insurance still face increasingly burdensome co-payments and out-of-pocket costs - the kinds of costs that you can't haggle away when you're in severe pain.

In Iowa, our premiums will increase from $12,190 in 2009 to $20,801 in 2019. Given that Iowa faces additional hurdles, with 800 adults who died between 2000 and 2006 due to lack of health insurance, inaction in the face of economic danger is something we can ill afford - and yet, that's exactly what happens every day that we fail to act on this.

Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way! The projections that CAP outlined don't have to come true. We can write a different story. We know how to "bend the curve" of increasing health costs. We can reform our health care system so that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.

One way we're keeping the focus on reform is by joining with our friends at Fire Dog Lake in asking Iowa's Representatives in Congress to stay and work on passing health care legislation like HR 3200, "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," over the August recess. You can sign their petition here. Congress shouldn't take a three-week vacation when 14,000 Americans are losing their insurance coverage every day. That's 34% of the population of Des Moines.

Let's make this happen. Iowa can't afford the cost of doing nothing any longer.

Thanks to the hard work of the Iowa Change that Works, our 24 hours of health care stories campaign on Twitter was a tremendous success.

With coverage in multiple media outlets, including the WCF Courier, Des Moines Register, as well as several Iowa blogs, such as the Radio Iowa Blog, Blog for Iowa and Iowa Politics, our Twitter campaign focused attention right where it was needed: on the struggles of everyday Iowans dealing with the burden of expensive, inadequate health care.

According to the Des Moines Register, our stories reached Senator Charles Grassley's office:

Late Monday, Grassley's office issued a statement saying he appreciates what Change That Works Iowa is doing.

"It is using Twitter in a similar fashion to how Sen. Grassley uses Twitter -- as another way to communicate with Iowans and make representative government work," press secretary Beth Levine said.

Grassley, who was in and out of meetings all day, including a meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, planned to read the group's tweets at the end of the day, Levin said.

Thanks to the bravery of those that shared their stories, our fight to reform our health care system continues to make a difference.

View the stories from our 24 hours of health care campaign here:

• Kathy Olmstead • Sharon Hyke • Cindy Brown • Sara Lang • Mary Pat Lease
• Carol Matthews • Leah Keneps • Iris Ayers • Rita Robinson • Alisa Vickrey
• Bob Meddaugh • Karen Kinkel • Cathy Warner • Mary Vasey • Melinda Myers
• Hugo Ramirez • Robin Van Camp • Michelle Livingston • Shawnae Morey
• Sarah Swisher • Eleanor Pierce • Sarah Posekany

Background on how we launched this campaign here and here.

This weekend, politicos across the internets were all atwitter (ahem) over Senator Charles Grassley's tweets at President Obama. You can view them directly on his page here.

While telling the President he "has some nerve" as well as asserting "I'm no NAIL" might raise some eyebrows, we're not here to school Senator Grassley on the finer points of inter-netiquette. Rather, SEIU's Change that Works campaign is taking advantage of the Senator's connectivity to reach out directly and influence him where it counts: to reform our country's health care.

So for the next 24 hours, Change that Works Iowa is implementing a twitter campaign aimed directly at Senator Grassley to convince him to support a public health plan option as a part of the health care reform plan. Each hour, a new story of health-care related hardship will be posted to the Iowa's Change that Works blog, and linked to a post directed at Senator Grassley on Twitter. Says the WCF Courier:

"The stories will be about Iowans who have faced the barrier of private insurance and high health care costs," Mertens said. Adding, "In some cases, the stories will be told by people who have struggled with the limitations of private health insurance. Others will be told by health care professionals who have seen patients encounter those problems."

We hope that the Senator uses his Twitter to listen to what his constituents need. Thanks to the magic of internet-technology, the stories of those who struggle with our current broken system can finally be heard, for those who want to listen.

>> View 24 Hours of Health Care stories here: http://www.seiu.org/changethatworks/iowa/

>> Follow Our Campaign on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CTWIowaSEIU

>> Contact Senator Grassley today to support the public health plan option: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/24hrs

New media and online social networks are making it easier than ever to make a difference in the fight for quality, affordable health care coverage.

In April, Senator Chuck Grassley held a tweet-up in Des Moines, a town hall-style event with his local constituents and followers on Twitter. In early May, Sen. Grassley also used Twitter to reach out to the people of Iowa to solicit their thoughts on the Senate Finance Committee's proposals to improve our health care system.

This weekend, Sen. Grassley made news on Twitter yet again with a controversial pair of "tweets" he sent early Sunday morning, criticizing President Obama's call for lawmakers to begin delivering on health care reform while overseas honoring D-Day in France. From @ChuckGrassley:

Today, SEIU's Change That Works Iowa campaign will feature compelling health care stories of everyday Iowans who have struggled because of a lack of quality, affordable health care--one new health care story per hour, for 24 hours (until 9 a.m. on Tuesday). The stories will be blasted from Twitter, as well as posted on the Change that Works Iowa blog. Every hour, on the hour, a new story will be featured to show the real face of the health care struggle to persuade Sen. Grassley that quality, affordable health care needs to be available to every Iowan and every American.

"[...] Senator Grassley and the Finance Committee is just days away from drafting a new health care reform bill and the Senator has yet to reach a compromise on an absolutely essential aspect of reform--creating a public health insurance option available to all Americans. Our hope is that reading these health care stories throughout the day will be a reminder to Senator Grassley that the private health insurance industry has failed Iowans time and time again. It's time to give private insurers some real competition, for the sake of all Iowans," said Cathy Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199.

Sen. Grassley says using new forms of communication like Twitter allows him to hear from an even wider range of constituents on issues. Today, we encourage you to join us and participate in one of the most important conversations of our times: how to resolve our health care crisis. Let Sen. Grassley know via Twitter that we need a bipartisan consensus to reform our system and make quality, affordable health care available to everyone--not just the wealthy.

Tweet Senator Grassley your views on health care: http://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley

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>> 24 Hours of Healthcare: Each new hourly story will be updated on the Change That Works Iowa blog here, so check back often.

>> Follow Change That Works Iowa on Twitter (Senator Grassley does!) at http://twitter.com/CTWIowaSEIU

Today we are taking the day to feature stories of every day Iowans who have struggled because of a lack of quality, affordable health care. Every hour, on the hour, we will feature a new story in the hope that these faces and their struggles persuade Senator Charles Grassley that true reform cannot happen without a public health care plan option, and that quality, affordable health care needs to be available to every Iowan.

Michelle Livingston
Des Moines, Iowa

Michelle Livingston lost her entire family to terminal illness. She and her husband Jim had two sons before they discovered Jim had Huntington's disease. This disease causes degeneration in many regions of the brain and spinal cord and it works into severe dementia. Jim had a family history of this disease, but their private insurance plan wouldn't cover the genetic test to see if he was susceptible, so they couldn't afford to know.

The children of people with Huntington's disease have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disease. Michelle's children both developed the disease before the age of 10. The condition is extremely debilitating and causes severe seizures with children. Michelle tried to enroll her children in disability insurance several times to help ease the exorbitant costs of their treatments, but she was denied every time because she made too much money.

Tragically, Huntington's disease took Michelle's husband and both of her children from her. Affording care for her family while they struggled with this disease was terribly expensive. She was left without a family and a lien on her house.

People in this country should not have to couple the complete loss of their family with complete financial ruin. It isn't fair.

Respond to Senator Grassley on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley

Write Senator Grassley and tell him that you want health care reform today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/24hrs

All eyes will be on health care in the next couple of weeks, as language is expected from the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Across the country SEIU members and Change that Works activists worked at a feverish pace to spotlight the value of reforming our broken healthcare system.

• In Nebraska, organizers earned coverage across the state from Lincoln to Grand Island with 24 stories in 24 hours.
  
• Change that Works teamed with Democracy for America this week to promote a public health insurance option. In the Buckeye State, Change that Works Iowa teamed with SEIU Local 199 and state Senator Joe Bolkcom to encourage Senator Charles Grassley to support a public health insurance option.
  
• Pennsylvanians for Healthcare released a video profile of an advocate for healthcare reform and encouraged residents to "share their story" with elected officials.
  
• Change that Works Montana attended Senator Max Baucus' "Listening Tour" across Montana and encouraged him to remain a strong advocate for a public health insurance option.
  
• In Ohio, SEIU 1199WKO members delivered a book of Healthcare Worker Stories to Representative Marcia Fudge.
  
• Change that Works Tennessee delivered over 500 petition signatures urging Representative Gordon to support a public health insurance option.
  
• Wednesday at First Unitarian Church in downtown Denver, Colorado, former Governor Howard Dean discussed the need for a public option with more than 350 town hall attendees. On Friday, Governor Dean co-hosted a town hall of nearly 100 participants in Wilmington, DE, with SEIU Change that Works.

Today, SEIU's Change that Works campaign released a report on rising health care costs and the value of reform in Iowa. The facts speak for themselves - in a state like Iowa, health care reform is not just about improving the health and safety of Americans, it's also a bottom-line, balance sheet issue. Government, families and businesses large and small stand to save trillions from fixing health care. It will strengthen Iowa's businesses, help us retain jobs, and provide greater access and choices to Iowans in need of care. Below are highlights from the report:

In 2007, Iowa's economy lost as much as $1.2 billion because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured. That equates to $4,335 per uninsured Iowa resident. This year, Iowa faces a $484 million projected state budget deficit. This represents 7.6% of state spending. As a result, Iowa has already ordered a hiring freeze on state employees and imposed cuts on higher education.

A snapshot of Iowa's uninsured:

• 686,000 non-elderly Iowans uninsured between 2007-2008
• 41,360 of the uninsured are children.
• 70 Iowa residents lost their heath insurance every day in December 2008 and January 2009.
• 63,036 of the uninsured adults in Iowa are between the ages of 50 and 64, meaning that more than 11% of Maine's aging adults lack health insurance.

On spending:

• 660,000 non-elderly Iowans spend more than 10% of their pre-tax family income on health care costs in 2008.
• Health insurance premiums rose by 72.6% from 2000 to 2007, while median earnings only increase a mere 18.5%
• In 2007, premiums grew 3.9 times faster than wages
• By 2016, projections show that Iowa families will have to pay $21,436 for health care annually.
• If current trends continue, family premiums would spend over 39% of median household income. This represents a 76% increase over 2008 levels.

Download the full report here: http://action.seiu.org/IAreport

An article in last week's Des Moines Register expressed hope that the public health plan option for the upcoming health care reform legislation is still within reach:

Health care legislation taking shape in the Senate is expected to be a mix of expanded public and private insurance plans, despite strong Republican resistance to a new government-run program, leaders of a key committee said after a marathon session Thursday.

Democrat Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the committee's ranking Republican, expressed optimism that compromise remained within reach. They held a joint briefing after an eight-hour, closed-door meeting of the committee, at which members aired concerns about coverage options.

Senator Grassley has been working hard to craft a health care legislation bill that works for everyone, and we applaud his considerable effort in the cause for quality, affordable health care reform. However, now is not the time to sacrifice the public health plan option for the sake of political compromise.

According to report recently released by Senator Charles Schumer and Health Care for America Now, a public health care plan option is integral to keeping the price of private insurance reasonable, and ensuring the greatest amount of choice for consumers. In our fight to fix our broken health care system, we must work towards legislation that offers the greatest amount of coverage and choice, for everyone.

Your support can make a difference. Senator Grassley is listening, and your voices are being heard.

Write Senator Grassley in support of the public health plan option today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/HCgrassley

The Des Moines Register continues to argue the benefits of a public health plan option for health care reform. Following up its article last week, where it published a poll showing that the majority of Iowans support the a public health insurance plan, the Register makes a compelling argument for the economic benefits of a public health insurance plan:

A public plan, similar to Medicare for everyone, could be funded by workers paying additional payroll taxes instead of private-sector insurance premiums. And a public plan, with lower administrative costs, would likely be cheaper.

Grassley has instead advocated using private insurance to address skyrocketing health-care costs and covering 46 million uninsured Americans.

Private insurance's commitment to reforming our health care system, while admirable, does not address the exorbitant cost of health care for the majority of Americans in this country. A public health plan option would provide much needed competition to the rising costs of the private health care sector, and ensure protection for those unable to meet those costs. As the Des Moines Register succinctly puts it, "Bottom line: The government is not the enemy when it comes to providing health insurance. It's part of the solution."

The numbers in the Register article speak for themselves:

...This country is on track to spend $2.5 trillion on health care this year, and on an unsustainable course for spending in the future. If the government can administer a health-insurance program that covers people for less, that is the direction Congress needs to go.

As ranking minority leader on the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Grassley plays a key role in shaping health care reform, but he's recently indicated that he's opposed to a public health insurance option. It's our job to remind Sen. Grassley that a public health insurance option will level the playing field in an otherwise uncompetitive, poorly-regulated insurance industry, drive down costs by increasing access, and protect those who would otherwise be denied coverage. In essence, it will provide all of us with more options:

But a public option in this country would give people another choice in coverage. They'll have more options, including one administered by the government. And such a public plan is something the majority of Iowans support, according to a recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll.

In the fight for quality, affordable health care for everyone, it is our duty to urge Senator Grassley to take the public health insurance option seriously. It's time to stop resting on empty promises and take action towards real reform.

Tell Senator Grassley you support the public health insurance option by writing him a letter today: http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/HCgrassley

On Tuesday May 5th, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee gathered to discuss the issue of health care coverage in America. This roundtable discussion, the second of three, represents a crucial moment in the health care debate and will inevitably shape the legislation produced on this important issue. At the center of the debate is making good on President Obama's promise to allow all Americans to buy into the same type of insurance members of Congress receive.

Providing Americans the option of joining a public health care plan is essential to securing real reform. This option is necessary to bring quality, affordable coverage to all Americans, to bring down costs, and to offer consumers additional options in our competitive marketplace.

The ranking Republican on this committee is Iowa's senior Senator Charles Grassley. He and his colleagues outlined their plans to expand coverage to all Americans, and we were watching. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern was among the panelists in DC presenting to the committee. SEIU is America's fastest growing labor union, representing over 1.5 million members.

The watch party followed C-SPAN's coverage of the Senate debate on health care coverage and the inclusion of a public insurance plan in the 2009 bill. The event was attended by Scott County health care voters, and State Representative Elesha Gayman.

Do Your Part: Join the conversation by speaking out to Senator Grassley about your views on health care here

New media is making it easier than ever to make a difference in the fight for quality, affordable health care coverage.

This week, Senator Charles Grassley used Twitter to reach out to the people of Iowa to ask what you think about the Senate Finance Committee's proposals to improve our health care system.

Thanks to Senator Grassley, the people of Iowa have a chance to directly communicate what we desire: quality, affordable health care for all.

Take a moment to answer Senator Grassley's message on twitter, and participate in one of the most important conversations of our times: how to solve our health care crisis. Let Senator Grassley know that we need to reform our system, and make quality, affordable health care available to everyone, not just the wealthy.

Respond to Senator Grassley via Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley

Or

Respond to Senator Grassley in an online letter:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/HCgrassley

Momentum is building for real reform to take place at Bank of America.

Today thousands of taxpayers will tell Bank of America it's time for reform - and for CEO Ken Lewis to be fired - by gathering at "Take Back the Economy" events around the country. The purpose of these events is to show Bank of America it's time for reform - you can collect "taxpayer proxy cards" that we'll deliver to Bank of America's annual meeting on Wednesday.

What kind of impact does Bank of America have in Iowa? Here are the facts:
Bank of America is the largest bank in the United States, with an estimated $2.3 trillion in assets and counts almost 1 in 2 households as customers. Bank of America is also the country's second largest issuer of credit cards. In Iowa, Bank of America is the fourth largest bank and second largest mortgage lender.

Bank of America is a major small business lender in the state, with more than 3,074 loans to small businesses totaling $41.0 million.

Bank of America has put taxpayers on the hook for as much as $200 billion in bailout money, making it one of the top two recipients. And, it's estimated that Bank of America costs Iowa taxpayers an additional $123,000 annually for uninsured and underinsured employees who are forced to rely on publicly-funded state health care programs.

Bank of America in Iowa by the numbers:

Branches: 15

Deposits (2008)
Deposits: $1.5 billion
Deposit Rank: 4

Mortgages (2007)
Mortgages: 8,071
Mortgage Value: $851 million
Mortgage Rank (2006): 2

Small Business Loans (2007)
Total Small Business Loans: 3,074
Total Small Business Loan Value: $41.0 million

Employees
Branch Workers (est): 130
Healthcare Cost to Taxpayers (est): $123,000

Change that Works is always looking for new ways to connect Iowans to our lawmakers in Washington. Which is why we were excited when Senator Chuck Grassley announced a tweet-up: a Des Moines town hall-style event for his constituents and followers on Twitter.

Twitter is an online service that lets people use mobile devices to tell their friends what they're up to ­in 140 characters or less.

During the event, Senator Grassley discussed the importance of making our voices heard on Capitol Hill and encouraged his constituents to keep up the communication with his office on issues that matter to us. He said using new forms of communication, like Twitter, is allowing him to hear from an even wider range of constituents on issues.

So how does a U.S. Senator like Grassley end up on Twitter? When asked, Grassley tweeted his reply using classic "tweet-speak":

"alwys wanted to stay at forefront of tech. 1 of the first to use fax."

From the start of faxing to twitter, Grassley is proving his commitment to listening to his constituency-- even if he needs to squeeze his message into 140 characters.

The tweet-up also saw Grassley addressing some serious issues . Here are
some of the notes we took live via Twitter:

"Grassley says next week he and Sen. Baucus will start moving health care reform along."

"Grassley says he wants to help homeowners facing foreclosure if there was no fraud involved."

The event was a great way for us to connect with Senator Grassley. And it proved that, although the technology we communicate with may change, the issues that matter still remain.

>> Follow Change that Works Iowa on Twitter here

>> Follow Senator Grassley on Twitter here

"The true test of this bipartisanship process will be how we handle the details," said Senator Charles E. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, last week in a Mason City, Iowa health forum including panelists from AARP and SEIU.

Speaking about competition between insurance companies, Local 199 member and RN Mary Burke commented, "I think competition would actually be meaningful if we have a public health care system. If you don't have everybody insured, we're still going to have the problem."

Later that day, Sen. Grassley posted on his Twitter account: "Had a v. good mtg in Mason City tlkg health care refrm. Iowans gve me lts of fdbck. Thanky AARP and SEIU and NFIB." We're glad Sen. Grassley enjoyed the event--and look forward to working with him in the months ahead to make health care reform a reality for Iowans.

Read more here

"The true test of this bipartisanship process will be how we handle the details," said Senator Charles E. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, last week in a Mason City, Iowa, health forum including panelists from AARP and SEIU. Speaking about competition between insurance companies, Local 199 member and RN Mary Burke commented, "I think competition would actually be meaningful if we have a public health care system. If you don't have everybody insured, we're still going to have the problem."

Later that day, Sen. Grassley posted on his Twitter account:

Had a v. good mtg in Mason City tlkg health care rfrm. Iowans gve me lts of fdbck. Thanky AARP and SEIU and NFIB.

Read more: http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2009/04/10/news/local/doc49dec7d59480a973355829.txt

We cannot get our economy back on track without repairing the American health care system. Health care reform is not just a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity. In 2007, the U.S. economy lost as much as $207 billion as a result of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured.

Skyrocketing health care costs add to families' already overwhelming burden, threatening their health and financial security. We can do better. Solving America's health care crisis will improve quality of care, reduce costs and make businesses more competitive.

The urgent need for reform is more apparent now in Iowa than ever. In the past eight years, health care premiums for family coverage have risen almost 4 times faster than wages. With 4.6% unemployed, many families are at risk of losing their health coverage. The message is clear: Iowa's families urgently need Congress to take direct action on health care reform.

Supporting Facts

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• Health Insurance premiums in Iowa increased by 72.6% from 2000 to 2007, while median earnings only increased a mere 18.5%. The median yearly wage in 2007 for Iowa was only $26,247, but the average health care premium for a family was $11,194. This means that premiums grew 3.9 times faster than wages.


• In Iowa, approximately 701,000 non-elderly people spent more than 10% of their pre- tax family income on health care costs in 2008. 91% of those people have insurance, but are underinsured. 638,000 Iowans with insurance spent more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care costs, and 172,000 spend more than 25% of their income.


• By 2016, projections show that Iowa families will have to pay over $21,000 for health care or over 39 percent of median household income. This would represent a 76 percent increase over 2008 levels.


• In addition, more and more Iowans have been forced into the exorbitantly expensive ndividual market, as unemployment reaches massive heights. As of December 2008, 77,080 Iowa residents were unemployed. That reflects a loss of over 13,100 jobs statewide last year alone, increasing the state unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage points.


• If the state keeps losing jobs at the rate it did last year, 92,989 people in Iowa will be unemployed by 2010. 59% of Iowans depend on their employers for their health insurance. If nothing is done to stem the economic downturn and reform our health care system, 9,126 Iowa workers will lose their current health coverage, meaning that 3,182 more people will likely enroll in COBRA. That leaves 5,944 people who will have to enroll in Medicaid, fend for themselves on the private market, or become uninsured.


• This year Iowa faces a $134 million budget shortfall, and has already depleted its budget stabilization rainy day fund. As a result, the state has instituted a hiring freeze on public employees. As of 2007, 17% of all state spending has gone to Medicaid and SCHIP. $2.6 billion went to spending on Medicaid alone.


• As of 2007 there were already 41,361 uninsured children in Iowa, and 248,817 uninsured adults. 89,178 of uninsured adults in Iowa also live below the Federal Poverty Line. Iowa's economy lost as much as $1.2 billion because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured in 2007. That equates $4,335 per uninsured Iowa resident.


• Of the top 10 employers in the state of Iowa, 4 are Healthcare Providers. According to the US Census, 142,870 individuals work in the Heath Care Sector in the state & make an average of $3,256 per month, which accounts for $466 million in wages per month.

The health of the American economy cannot improve without addressing the healthcare crisis. Building on the existing healthcare system, quality, affordable healthcare can be guaranteed to every American. It's the reform truly needed to rebuild Iowa's economy.