FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 5, 2020

CONTACT: press@iowademocrats.org

ICYMI: Rep. Axne: Defending health care means strengthening, not repealing, current protections

DES MOINES – Ahead of tonight’s 3rd congressional district debate, Congresswoman Cindy Axne wrote an op-ed in The Perry Chief about the heightened need for affordable, high-quality health care for Iowans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Iowa communities, the GOP is still trying to strip health coverage from hundreds of thousands of Americans. While rejected Congressman David Young has repeatedly voted to completely eliminate the ACA and gut protections for Iowans with pre-existing conditions, Axne has spent her time in Congress working tirelessly to lower costs and expand access to healthcare for everyone.

Read about Congresswoman Cindy Axne’s fight for better health care for Iowans below:

Perry Chief: Defending health care means strengthening, not repealing, current protections

“This year’s uncertainty and unpredictability has tested our communities and pushed our families to the limit. From a devastating derecho that cut through the state to an unrelenting pandemic that continues to upend our daily lives, shutter local small businesses, and batter our economy, folks from Council Bluffs to Des Moines and everywhere in between have shared with me their struggles to stay healthy and financially stable.

“At a time when our families and neighbors are trying to keep their family fed, housed, and protected from COVID-19 – they should not have to lie awake in the middle of the night concerned about the possibility that their government is working to take away their health insurance. But the sad fact is that efforts to take away health care for 230,000 Iowans are still at work in Washington.

“On November 10th, the Supreme Court is set to consider a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act – one which threatens to bring us back to time when Americans with pre-existing conditions were denied healthcare coverage and families having to choose between coverage plans that either aren’t affordable or don’t cover essential services.

“Even in the middle of a global pandemic, where access to health care is more important than perhaps any other single moment in the past century, the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration are still fighting to eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA). […]

“When I learned that the Trump Administration had tinkered with the ACA, changing a formula that would lead to higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for millions, I led legislation that would reverse these changes and save families $400 a year or more. My bill, the Fair Indexing for Health Care Affordability Act, was part of a package of bills the House advanced to protect those with pre-existing conditions, crack down on “junk” insurance plans, and shore up the ACA. […]

“My top priority in Congress has always been to ensure access to affordable, high-quality care for Iowans. At a time when we are battling a pandemic and economic fallout, we cannot afford to turn our backs on our seniors, pregnant mothers, children, and families who are continuing to face this crisis. I will continue fighting for Iowans to protect their health and safety as we fight this battle together.”