State Rep. and U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek Visits Manning Regional Healthcare Center

State Rep. and U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek Visits Manning Regional Healthcare Center 

Rep. Turek met with members of senior leadership to discuss challenges to rural health care

Manning, Iowa – On December 12th, State Representative and U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek toured Manning Regional Healthcare Center (MRHC) and heard from senior leadership including the center’s CEO, Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Operating Officer. 

Rep. Turek and leadership discussed the looming impacts of Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring at the end of the year. After the Senate failed to pass legislation to extend ACA tax credits, 132,000 Iowans are set to see their premiums skyrocket. Nationwide, more than one in four farmers rely on the ACA, making the impact on rural communities significant. 

CEO Shannon Black worries the increased cost of premiums will mean more individuals in rural communities opt to go without insurance. This, she noted, leads to increased use of the hospital’s emergency department, a lack of preventative care for community members, and financial strain on the healthcare center as they absorb the cost of providing care for more individuals who are uninsured. 

When asked about the biggest challenge to rural health care, CEO Shannon Black said reimbursement rates, recruitment challenges, and access to care top the list.

“On the one hand, you hear the powers that be say ‘We care about rural health, and we care about health care in general, we want to help,’ but your actions are not matching your words,” said Manning Regional Health Care Center CEO Shannon Black. 

Rep. Turek, who underwent 21 surgeries by the age of 12 after being born with spina bifida, knows firsthand the importance of affordable and accessible health care. He first ran for the Iowa State House after seeing the impacts of Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system. While working to assess and provide disabled Iowans with mobility devices, Turek saw the Medicaid denial rate increase 1,000% as a result of the privatized Medicaid system. Leadership at MRHC expressed similar experiences and noted their frustration with the privatized Medicaid system. 

“I believe health care is a human right, and there are far too many barriers to accessible and affordable health care for all Iowans, but especially those in the rural communities. In the only state with a growing cancer rate, we should be doing everything we can to make our state healthier, not further cut access to health care for the most vulnerable,” said Josh Turek.