Meet the Candidates: Iowa House District 28: Ann Fields

Editor’s note: Ann Fields is an College Professor, of Knoxville, running for the Iowa House District 28. She is one of two Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in the June 5 primary. The top Republican and top Democrat will compete for the state seat up for grabs in November. The following is the first of four Q&As with the State House candidates. The full Q&As can be found on our Election Central page at newtondailynews.com.

1. What do you see as the biggest issues facing constituents in your district? If elected, how will you address this issue?

First and most important, our state budget needs to reflect the priorities of Iowans. At the top of that list should be public education.  I have worked in education for the last 20 years of my life and worked with hundreds of college-age students. The state of Iowa needs to adequately fund our public school districts to provide an equitable, quality education in Iowa.  Iowa’s public schools, community colleges, state universities and Area Education Agencies have been facing nearly nine years of underfunding. I will fight for sustainable funding for the public schools as your House District 28 Representative. Our public schools are one of the main reasons businesses choose to relocate to Iowa.

If we want to have a serious conversation about how to provide a quality education experience that is equitable for all Iowa children, we need to fund preschool education. If a child is behind when he or she started kindergarten, research shows that the child seldom catches up. Also, class size matters. When the state doesn’t adequately fund education, the consequence is larger class sizes, which means teachers have less time to spend on kids who are struggling and need additional attention.

To attract and retain teachers to the rural districts of HD 28, they need a stable working environment. A child’s learning experience is directly tied to an educator’s working conditions. Collective bargaining worked for 40 years! It has helped increase wages and benefits so teachers, bus drivers, custodians, cooks, associates and secretaries can focus on doing what’s best for the students instead of being consumed by finding additional ways to provide for their families. (Restoring collective bargaining rights also will help Iowans who have been disenfranchised by the current restrictive laws.)

2. How would you address the state’s Medicaid crisis? Problems, including late payments, have led one MCO to pull out of Iowa and another said it can no longer accept new customers. Several prominent Democratic lawmakers have called for the state to go back to the previous system, which was run by the state of Iowa. Do you believe there’s an opportunity to return to the state-run system, or does the state need to find a way to make the MCO-based system work? Do you believe the system is working effectively for rural Iowans?

The Medicaid crisis started when the state of Iowa decided to privatize the Medicaid system. Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program covers approximately 600,000 members and is now plagued with significant administration blunders, late payments, payment reductions, and turning away benefits for disabled and mentally challenged patients. The privately managed-care organizations (MCO) view patients as profit-centers, not individuals requiring care for their medical problems.

HD 28 is a rural district and the constituents are dependent upon our rural hospitals. However, these MCO are putting the 82 critical access hospitals and all rural hospitals in devastating financial stress with almost $7 million in payment reductions. Iowa needs to end the privatization of Medicaid and return to Iowa’s previous state-run Medicaid reimbursement system. This system should include:

• Reinstating the individual mandate enlarging the applicant pool

• Covering pre-existing conditions

• Not charging more based on age or pre-existing conditions, following the ACA mandate

• Offering a public option, for individuals so they could BUY into Medicare and Medicaid

3. Sweeping mental health legislation passed in the state of Iowa this year. The legislation calls for the creation of six community-based resource centers to be located across the state. Despite this progress, many of the state’s rural residents don’t have ready access to health care services, particularly for mental health. Is this a concern for you, and if so, how would you address it if elected?

Mental health services is a big concern for me, my family, and many Iowans. Our son works at a hospital and sees first-hand the critical needs of people with mental health issues. Mental health impacts Iowan’s quality of life including education, jobs, drug use, alcohol use, family problems, and gun violence. The mental health legislation that was passed this year was based on a December report from an advisory panel that looked at Iowa’s mental-health system and is just the first step toward a comprehensive plan. The entire plan hinges on the funding required by the state, and later funding by the Medicaid program. Without adequate funding these centers will not be able to hire staff and be up and running by December 2019.

Iowa cannot stop at this first step. The state must then complete the second step which is to add another 5 centers by December 2020. After these centers are up and running, Iowa needs to add 24-hour services. The statutory limit of 75 publicly funded sub-acute beds should be eliminated and have a total of 120 publicly funded sub-acute beds. As one can tell, this is a long-range, comprehensive plan. I am willing to fight for the funding for this vulnerable population of Iowa.

4. Earlier this year the Senate considered a law that would allow “Constitutional Carry” in Iowa. If passed, this law would have allowed Iowans to carry a concealed weapon without a permit. It would have also loosened restrictions on the sale of firearms in the state. Some Senators have said they plan to take up the issue when the next legislative session begins. Do you support this legislation? Why or why not?

I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment and gun ownership, in fact I have had a concealed weapon permit and I own guns. I do not agree with open carry laws, but support our current permit to carry concealed law. Background checks should continue to ensure people with serious mental health issues or a history of violence or lawless behavior do not obtain concealed weapon permits.

5. Gov. Reynolds signed a water quality bill into law this session responding to calls to provide funding to the state’s voluntary nutrient reduction strategy, incentivizing farmers to use cover crops, terracing and no-till farming to reduce the amount of run-off from Iowa’s farms going into lakes, rivers and streams. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the law for redirecting money for existing programs instead of creating new revenue, while some in the Ag-industry and environmental community think there is not enough money for farmer education and oversight. Do you think Iowa needs to invest more in water quality to fix this issue? Do you think the state should provide more oversight or guidance to ensure nutrient reduction is being implemented properly?

Iowa needs to invest more money in water quality. Having over 500 rivers, lakes, and streams that are “compromised” is not good for the health of all Iowans or the economy. Governor Reynolds’’s water quality bill is a first step, but does not go far enough. My biggest concern is that the water quality bill is a “voluntary” nutrient reduction strategy. Just like businesses and all cities and towns must maintain waste-water contamination minimums, farmers should be required to do the same.

I was a farm wife for almost 20 years and believe that farmers are committed to good stewardship practices. The Conservation Reserve Program could be expanded to provide funding for cover crops, buffer strips, terracing, and no-till farming, complete with oversight and guidance. Additional education and incentive programs could be implemented to demonstrate that profitability and environmental sustainability go hand-in-hand.