LEGISLATURE BEGINS SESSION

JANUARY 14^TH

Norman L. Pawlewski – Lobbyist

January 9, 2008

On Monday, January 14^th, legislators will be arriving at the Capitol to complete the 82^nd General Assembly.  In the event you have forgotten, each “General Assembly” is two years in length.  During the first year of the session, the Legislature attempts to do the heavy lifting by putting together a two-year budget and either enacting or starting major pieces of legislation through the process.  During the second session, they may make adjustments to the budget and possibly fine tune some legislation that, on implementation, was found to be flawed.  It’s also the session just before all House members and some Senate members stand for re-election.  That may give you some idea about how productive this session may be.

It’s unlikely any significant or expensive legislation will see the light of day during this session.  If it does, it will be done in January or February and will not be widely publicized.  For example, in today’s Register (Wednesday, January 9, 2008) on the front page of the Metro section is an announcement of the completion of a study by “10 legislators and 15 other people, including representatives of the insurance industry, medical groups and business interests.”  They had at their disposal $500,000 taxpayer dollars, and six months of meetings to consider “ways to provide affordable healthcare to more Iowans, especially the 9 percent who are uninsured.” 

The study (copies are available at DesMoinesRegister.com) says, “Everyone should have health insurance coverage but it doesn’t say how we get there,” according to Senator Jack Hatch.  Some of the other startling and innovative recommendations were:  “That Iowa cover 30,000 children who already are eligible for government programs, such as Medicaid or Hawk-I, but aren’t signed up.” 

“The commission also suggested the state encourage the development of ‘medical homes’ in which patients would have their care coordinated by primary-care physicians who track all their problems and treatments.”

“That the state help broaden the use of electronic medical records;”

“That it develop a system to help Iowans buy affordable health insurance.”  (YOU THINK?)

There’s more, but I won’t waste your time with it.  The commission voted 16-1 to pass its report to the Legislature.  There are no substantive action recommendations.  The no vote was from the Iowa Medical Society representative on the commission.  If my arithmetic is right, at least 8 commission members did not vote (that’s about 32%) to pass the report on to the Legislature.  I wonder why?  Were they ashamed to put their name on this half million-dollar report?  And how come the great investigative, public watchdog, Des Moines Register, merely reports the completion of the study without asking the hard questions like:  What did we get for a half million-dollars?  Why did the commission travel the state of Iowa to gather data? (Is our “fiber optic” network broken?)

Folks, I spent 25 years in public health, twelve as Commissioner of the Iowa Department of Health and another 15 years representing a professional medical association.  There was little, if anything, at all new in this report.  It certainly was not worth six months of meetings and a half-million dollars. 

If this fiasco is any indicator of things to come this session, it’s going to be a “doozy.”

On Tuesday, January 15^th at 12:00 Noon, the Capitol Prayer Group will meet in Room 116, first floor Capitol Building.  This group meets every Tuesday.  You are all welcome.

On Tuesday, January 22^nd, Concerned Women for America will hold their legislative luncheon and prayer time.  Plan to arrive about 10:00 a.m.  Again, first floor Capitol Building rotunda.

Members from ICA and other values voter organizations will be there as well.

To all of you who prayed me through my health crisis, thank you and please continue to hold me up in prayer.

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