Lieutenant Governor seeks signatures from seniors for Medicare reimbursement increase

Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor is seeking petition signatures from Iowa senior citizens as part of the effort to lobby for more Medicare dollars for Iowa. Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson kicked off the petition drive today at a senior center in Des Moines. Pederson says Iowans who provide health care to patients on Medicare are paid much less than they should be by the government-run program.Pederson will travel Iowa this week, and solicit petition signatures next month at the Iowa State Fair, too.Governor Tom Vilsack says it’s time for a “wake up call” on the issue because Iowa’s hospitals and doctors have to either cut services or require more out-of-pocket payments from patients because Medicare payments are so low.The petitions will be forwarded to Iowa’s Congressmen and U-S Senators, who have also been pressing the issue for years, with little success.