DES MOINES, Iowa (KMTV) — Iowans with disabilities who rely on Medicaid for healthcare are forced to limit their income or risk losing life-saving health coverage.
- Council Bluffs Rep. Josh Turek has been working on legislation for the last three years that would allow permanently disabled adults to earn more money.
- Sioux City Councilman Alex Watters is quadriplegic and relies on Medicaid to pay for the direct care workers who help him with daily needs: "There was actually a period where I had to reduce my income from the city council and redirect those checks to go back to the general fund of our city budget balance."
- "It will help them find a job that they love, a job that they feel comfortable with and a job that they want to wake up every morning and go to and say, you know, 'I love my job,'" said Brady Werger, a disabled man who is the chair of Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Forced to choose between gainful employment and keeping their healthcare benefits, disabled Iowans gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday to testify in favor of a bill that could help them lead more independent lives.
I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel in Des Moines.
This is a story I've covered for a year. And I'm following our neighbors as they journey to the state Capitol to share their stories with lawmakers.
Brady Werger was a resident of the now-closed Glenwood Resource Center. He chairs the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council and works at a golf course he loves his job and wants that for others.
"I love it. It's a seasonal job, so in the wintertime I have to find other employment," he said.
Currently, permanently disabled adults in Iowa are forced to limit their income or they'll lose Medicaid coverage.
This means remaining in poverty, dimming dreams of a fulfilling future.
Sioux City Councilman Alex Watters is quadriplegic and relies on Medicaid to pay for the direct care workers who help him with daily needs.
"There was actually a period where I had to reduce my income from the city council and redirect those checks to go back to the general fund of our city budget balance,” said Watters. “Yeah, I wasn't able to accept that payment and it was really demeaning in a lot of ways."
Council Bluffs Representative Josh Turek has been working on legislation he calls "Work Without Worry."
He told me he’s worked on the bill for three years.
"It was awe-inspiring to see that many individuals. It shows you the impact of what this is," he said.
Turek argues the bill would save money because Medicaid recipients would no longer rely upon food or rental assistance, they'll pay more income tax, and be able to marry without losing healthcare.
"I really do believe that this single policy is the largest barrier to individuals with disabilities in the state," said Turek.
"It will help them find a job that they love, a job that they feel comfortable with and a job that they want to wake up every morning and go to and say, you know, 'I love my job,'" Werger said.
The legislation still has a ways to go. It was to clear committees in both the House and Senate before making it to the floor of each chamber for final votes.
