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The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Two Republicans squaring off for the chance to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in 2010 have once again turned their sights on each other, this time over health care.
State Rep. Chris Rants, R-Sioux City, called the health care proposal of Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats a “cure that’s worse than the cold.”
Bob Vander Plaats, right, and Chris Rants
“Obama’s plan spells trouble for Iowa, but the Vander Plaats plan spells bankruptcy,” Rant said in a statement.
Vander Plaats told Radio Iowa’s O.Kay Henderson that he believes Iowa should run Medicare and Medicaid, not the federal government.
“If you left the Medicaid and Medicare dollars that you’re taking from our citizens within the state of Iowa and let the State of Iowa design its health care delivery system, I think we’d be way better off than what the federal government has currently,” Vander Plaats said.
Rants said the idea simply won’t work.
“This idea may sound good in a stump speech, but it doesn’t work in practice,” Rants said. “First, it would bust the state’s budget. It would cost $2 Billion for Medicaid and $3.3 Billion for Medicare. Iowans can’t afford it, not now, not ever.”
It would also raise Iowa’s tax rate higher than neighboring states, Rants said.
“Bob touts his leadership on health care,” he said. “He should know better than this.”
Vander Plaats dismissed Rants’ attack as “more of the same from a career politician.” He said his discussion of Medicare and Medicaid was a discussion of “core principles, not a plan.”
“I’m making the point that they want socialized medicine and I’m saying, ‘What happens if you move the pendulum the other way? What if you take the federal government out of it and leave the money here?’” Vander Plaats said.
Vander Plaats said his approach to health care is to “put the focus on the person not on government.” He favors a greater emphasis on preventive care, more insurance coverage pooling, liability reform, allowing Iowans to put more dollars into medical savings accounts and health savings accounts and other innovations.
This is not the first time these two GOP adversaries have faced off. In June, Vander Plaats criticized Rants’ stance on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Vander Plaats believes the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage can be stopped with an executive order. Rants believes it can only be overturned with an amendment to the state’s constitution.
“With all due respect to Rep. Rants, I believe that’s the kind of leadership that’s brought us from being the majority in the state to being the minority in the state,” Vander Plaats said at the time, referencing Rants’ time as state House Minority Leader. “When you give complete power over to the Supreme Court, you’ll have tyranny not liberty.”
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