Lawmaker to pressure governors on health insurance coverage

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A state legislator said he plans to pressure the nation's governors this weekend to broaden their agenda to include offering health coverage to working families struggling to make ends meet.



"I will be talking to the governors to make sure they know how important this issue is," said Rep. Wayne Ford, D-Des Moines. "How can you come to Iowa and not talk about insurance?"



Ford spoke at a news conference on the eve of the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, which opens this weekend in Des Moines. While challenges facing the Medicaid program are a big topic for governors, Ford said the agenda should be broadened to include offering care for the uninsured and underinsured.



The issue is particularly important in Iowa, which ranks third in the nation in the number of insurance companies with headquarters here.



"With its prominent role in these issue, the insurance industry faces challenges with respect to how to address these needs of all Americans," Ford said. "As governors, how are you to be sure, for example, that all of your adult citizens and their children have health insurance? How are you going to deal with the uninsured and underinsured in your state?"



Ford, who is black, runs an inner-city advocacy group called Urban Dreams. Speaking as a representative of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, he said the issue of offering health care disproportionately impacts minorities and inner-city residents.



"When it comes to minorities, the American Medical Association has documented many disparities with respect to minorities and health care and has asked the insurance industry to become more involved ... ," Ford said.



Ford said he would urge governors attending the meeting to "develop and strengthen a dialogue on insurance needs and health care coverage."



He said the governors meeting comes on the heels of state officials putting in place an IowaCares program, a revamping of the Medicaid program that could add as many as 30,000 people to the health care rolls.



The NGA meeting opens on Saturday and runs through Monday.