Nurses’ union members, county supervisors rally for ACA subsidy extension

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - A group of community members gathered Thursday morning outside of the University of Iowa Health Care campus to call for change as Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies are set to run dry in the new year.

SEIU-member nurses, Johnson County Supervisors Mandi Remington and V Fixmer-Oraiz, a representative from the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund and others braved the morning chills to chant outside of the hospital campus near Kinnick Stadium.

Protesters held signs saying, “Health Over Wealth” and “Fund Our Families, Not Billionaire Tax Cuts” as they demonstrated - calling for an extension to pandemic-era subsidies that made ACA plans cheaper for millions of Americans.

That healthcare subsidy question was at the center of the recent government shutdown - ending the 43-day-long, longest-ever pause of the federal government.

At the rally, Supervisor Remington called for an extension of the subsidies into 2026.

“We need an extension of the ACA credits, absolutely. That needs to come before this deadline in four days (referring to the current open enrollment window),” said Remington. “They need to get that vote done, and they need to provide that to people. I would also like to see some of the planned Medicaid cuts not happen.”

She also expressed frustration with U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, (R) IA-01. Remington said she has contacted her offices and traveled to Washington, D.C. in efforts to meet with the legislator to discuss healthcare issues without success.

“It’s just very frustrating that she not only will not show up for constituents, but she also won’t speak with another elected leader who serves those same people when they are struggling so much,” said Remington.

Katie Daugherty, a nurse at the UIHC downtown campus, called on Rep. Miller-Meeks to act. Daugherty said Iowans will lose access to critical services.

“Someone who is taught to ‘do no harm’ in medical school is explicitly harming Iowans and the healthcare systems that care for them,” said Daugherty. “By voting to cut Medicaid, she is putting even more of a strain on our already fragile system.“

Congresswoman Miller-Meeks released a statement to TV9 saying the representative wants to lower healthcare costs for all.

Her statement reads:

“First and foremost, we want to lower healthcare costs for everyone. More choices, lower costs, and high quality care should be the promise of American health care, yet Obamacare has delivered the opposite: continually escalating premiums, shrinking options, fewer providers and billions in subsidies for profitable insurance companies. As a physician, I’m fighting for reforms that put patients and their doctors in the driver’s seat and create an affordable system that truly serves those who depend on it, not just a select few and profitable insurers.”

TV9 also reached out to U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (R) of Iowa’s Second Congressional District regarding healthcare costs.

Her statement reads:

“Families should be able to afford good health care, and I do not want to see premiums get even more expensive next year. We should ensure working families — not just big health insurance companies — can directly access dollars meant for their health care needs and that no one can get away with profiting off seniors and sick Americans with sky-high prescription drug costs. I will continue working on bipartisan solutions and reforms that lower premiums, improve access to care, and bring down the cost of prescription drugs.”

The Senate rejected both sides’ options to address healthcare costs on Thursday. Republicans put forth a proposal for new health savings accounts and Democrats wanted to extend the subsidies for another three years.

Now, Daugherty worries about the future of rural hospitals that rely on Medicare and Medicaid funding.

“When they will close, we’ll get more strain at the university. And we’re already pushed to the limits as it is,” said Daugherty. “So, everyone across the state, whether you need cancer care or emergency care, will be affected in some way.“