From the monthly archives:

May 2007

Iowa Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat, is criticizing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for not presenting a federal healthcare plan Romney said during a stop in Iowa Wednesday, that expanding healthcare should be left up to the states. Culver says that isn’t going to sit well with Iowans.

"We’ve waited long enough," Culver says, "the federal government has to play a role. Even in states like Iowa, where we’re doing very well, they still have to partner with us and step up to the plate." As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed legislation forcing most residents to purchase health insurance and it also offered assistance to the low income residents. Romney says other states should be allowed to come up with their own plans and not look to the federal government.

Culver doesn’t agree."I believe that will be an issue that Iowans take exception with if he continues to believe that," according to Culver. He says the states have to use the resources of the federal government "to help solve this crisis in America." Culver says most states cannot afford to cover all of the uninsured without federal assistance. There are roughly 250,000 Iowans without healthcare coverage, and 45 million nationwide.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Study shows suicide most prevalent in people 65 and older

by admin 05/31/07 4:04 PM

Despite the attention given to preventing teen suicides, studies find the suicide rate in Iowa –and nationwide– is highest for people 65 and older, especially for white men 85 and over. A University of Iowa study is looking into the causes of depression in the elderly — and ways to prevent it. Erika Holm [...]

Read the full article →

Seven-year-old girl thrown through windshield in I-35 wreck

by admin 05/31/07 2:51 PM

An accident on Interstate-35 near Norwalk seriously injured a seven-year-old girl and brought traffic in the northbound lanes to a standstill for three hours today.
Iowa State Highway Patrol Lieutenant Tom Lampe says witnesses reported the vehicle was swerving on the highway before the accident. "The pick-up hit the east guard rail at the [...]

Read the full article →

Girls golf championships make it through the rain

by admin 05/31/07 2:15 PM

The girls state golf meet finished before heavy rain hit in central Iowa. Ottumwa won the 4A championship. Ottumwa coach Dustin Stewart says they have gone undefeated for the year in a "fantastic season."
Stewart says his team did a good job of battling the elements, saying they’ve had a few meets in [...]

Read the full article →

Vilsack and Branstad on panel to push candidates to address problem of chronic disease

by admin 05/31/07 2:03 PM

Two former Iowa Governors are co-chairs on a bipartisan panel that’s seeking to make the battle against chronic disease a key campaign issue for presidential candidates. The "Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease" includes former Governor Terry Branstad, a Republican, who is now the president of Des Moines University, a medical school.
Branstad says [...]

Read the full article →

Iowa among cheapest vacation locations according to Triple-A

by admin 05/31/07 1:59 PM

Triple-A says Iowa is one of America’s cheapest vacation spots. There’s no place like home — for a summer vacation. Triple-A’s Rose White says many folks may be staying closer to home over the next few months as four Midwestern states top the list of least expensive vacation destinations.
White says the most economical [...]

Read the full article →

Calls to smoking quitline continue strong

by admin 05/31/07 1:58 PM

The one dollar increase in Iowa’s cigarette tax took effect on March 15th, and health officials have noticed that a lot of smokers in the state are trying to quit. Bonnie Mapes, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the number of calls to Quitline Iowa have tripled since the tax passed.
[...]

Read the full article →