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charliedontsurf

1d

I'm going to a Joni Ernst town hall in about 2 hours. Here is what I want to say, although it is unlikely I will get the chance.

I have two questions, one for you and one for Chuck Grassley. But he hasn't done a public meeting in this county in 6 years. What's he afraid of, that we'll give him the "Full Grassley?" Just yesterday, he described the new health care bill, "..I could give you ten reasons why this bill shouldn't be considered, but Republicans campaign on this so often that you have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign. That's pretty much, as much of a reason as the substance of the bill." He's more interested in party politics, more interested in Hillary Clinton's emails than a President that committed treason by collaborating with the Russians.

But I am going to assume you won't put party politics over the interests of your constituents. And here in Iowa, we have already seen how party politics changed health care. When Gov. Branstad was elected, his #1 goal was to tear down IowaCare. Over 150k people were kicked off IowaCare and told to reapply for Medicaid or go on the ACA exchange. He called it "Medicaid Expansion" but it was really Medicaid Contraction. He did this deliberately as revenge, to destroy the IowaCare system created by Tom Vilsack, who beat him in the 1998 election.

I was poor enough that I was right at the borderline of coverage, so both Medicaid and the Exchange refused to cover me. I fought with them for 6 months, during which time I had no access to medications or any health care. One of the Iowa Medicaid agents said, "oh you're a 'Looper,' you're getting kicked back and forth and neither system will cover you." Finally I got the Exchange to cover me. I got an ACA subsidy and bought health insurance, which made me poorer than ever. Then, 6 months later, Medicaid sent me a letter, oh you were right, you were covered all along, we retroactively covered you so now you can apply to get your insurance payments back!"

So now I'm on Medicaid. But Iowans already have experience on how this Republican system works. Brandstad subcontracted the perfectly adequate Medicaid system out to private insurance companies like Anthem. Now I am getting letters from THEIR sub-subcontractors, refusing to refill prescriptions that I've had covered for years. And I can't see one of my providers, her group practice was covered by my Anthem/Amerigroup MCO but she moved to a private practice. She submitted the paperwork a year ago, but can't get approved by Amerigroup, so I haven't had an office visit in a YEAR. I'll have to find a new provider, or switch MCOs.

Iowans know how this Republican health plan is going to work. They'll give states a block grant, the governors will call it "health care expansion" and use it to reduce services. People with preexisting conditions like me will have no coverage, because the Federal Government won't require it. Everyone's coverage will be reduced because they can't afford it. People will die. And you'll blame "Obamacare." You already wrecked the ACA because the insurance companies don't know what's going to happen. I'm asking you to commit to FIXING the ACA. That's what people want. It's not what the Republican Party wants, but you are responsible to your constituents, not Chuck Grassley and Mitch McConnell. Please help us save our health care.

 Replies

11 LikesReply

keninmn

1d

charliedontsurf:

I'm going to a Joni Ernst town hall in about 2 hours.

Let us know how it goes...

bonvivant

1d

charliedontsurf:

I'm going to a Joni Ernst town hall in about 2 hours. Here is what I want to say, although it is unlikely I will get the chance.

Bring a couple bread bags and put them on your feet when she starts shoveling it. It would help if over half there would do the same. I'm sure she would get the meaning. You would not have to say anything. I'm sure the local press would be 

yskov

1d

In case you see this, good luck and I'm glad you're going. You've probably already edited this, but if you want your point to come across clearly and just as importantly to be heard by other constituents as well as your Senator, you'll need to rework it so they don't shut down on the third sentence.

Something like,

I have two questions, one for you and one for Chuck Grassley. But he hasn't done a public meeting in this county in 6 years. Thank you for giving your constituents this opportunity to discuss this issue with you, one many of our lives depend on.

I wrote a lot of letters for Amnesty International in my younger years. I'd almost always write two drafts, the "what I think and feel" version and the "getting results" version, lol. Basically I'd edit out anything that I thought would shut them down and replace it with an appeal to their better nature, whether or not I privately thought it existed. Lot's of "I'm sure that now that you know this prisoner that was arrested in your jurisdiction is missing, you will do everything you can to locate him and facilitate contact with his lawyers and his family", knowing full well that this dude was almost certainly responsible for the disappearance. Amazingly, this kind of thing can work.

I'm not saying don't be angry, I'm saying that sometimes it's more effective to direct the anger just sideways of the actual target so they don't just