Iowa Senate News Release
For immediate release: February 13, 2017
Contact: State Senator Nate Boulton, 515-669-4259
DES MOINES – A key Democratic Senator today announced plans to block a key provision in anti-worker legislation (Senate File 213) that would take away the health care security of hundreds of thousands of Iowa workers.
“We will fight this attempt to take way health care security of hundreds of thousands of Iowa workers,” said State Senator Nate Boulton of Des Moines, lead Democrats on the Senate Labor Committee. “One of the most dangerous provisions of this anti-worker legislation would wipe out hundreds of health insurance plans for Iowa, teachers, correctional officers, EMTs, snow plow drivers, nurses and others who answer the call to serve our communities. That’s wrong.”
Boulton said the first amendment he has filed to the legislation would strike a provision in the bill that prohibits management and employees from sitting down and negotiating the terms of health insurance benefits. Instead, the amendment establishes a special committee to study ways to improve the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and fairness of health insurance plans for public employees.
“Rather than fast-tracking a major change in the health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Iowans without any thoughtful planning, we are proposing an alternative that would include listening to locally elected officials and other managers, health care professionals and others,” Boulton said.
Boulton said that well-planned reforms – rather than immediately ditching health care plans that have been mutually agreed upon by employers and their employees – would be a more effective way to attract and retain high-quality public employees across the state.
“Taking away the health care security of thousands of hard-working Iowans is one of the worst aspects of this horrible piece of legislation,” Boulton said.
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