Rob Sand Talks Lowering Health Care Costs, Supporting Health Care Workforce

DES MOINES, IA – This week, candidate for governor Rob Sand traveled the state to discuss his “A Healthier Iowa for All” plan, which includes measures demanding greater accountability in Iowa’s prescription drug system and to support Iowa’s health care workforce. In Colfax, Rob visited Spring City Pharmacy with pharmacy owner Brad Magg, pharmacists, and local residents who shared firsthand experiences navigating rising prescription drug costs and the growing influence of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), while calling for action to lower costs for Iowa seniors and working families.

Later, Rob traveled to Iowa City for a health care roundtable with SEIU health care workers and local health care advocates. During the roundtable, Rob talked about the current challenges facing Iowa’s health care system and the impact on patients, providers, and communities across the state — from low Medicaid reimbursement rates to health care workers leaving Iowa in search of better opportunities.

Learn more about Rob’s press conference in Colfax below:

WHO13:

KCCI: Rob Sand promotes healthcare reforms during Iowa governor campaign

Democratic candidate for Iowa governor Rob Sand highlighted his “Healthier Iowa for All” plan during a campaign event at Spring City Pharmacy in Colfax.
Sand met with business owners and voters at the pharmacy on Tuesday and held a news conference to outline his strategy to address healthcare access in Iowa.
“I think if we’re going to do something that’s both going to improve the quality of care for Iowans, but also lower costs for Iowans, no matter who is selling them their prescription drugs, it’s these kind of reforms,” Sand said.

KCRG: Sand proposes pharmacy benefit manager regulations to lower prescription drug costs

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said lowering prescription drug costs would be a top priority if he’s elected governor.
Sand outlined a plan targeting pharmacy benefit managers that help determine what patients pay at the pharmacy counter.
PBMs are the mediators between drug manufacturers and insurance providers and determine how much patients pay at the pharmacy. They also decide how much pharmacies are reimbursed for filling prescriptions.
Sand said if elected governor, he would require PBMs to contract with local pharmacies and allow customers to choose where they can get the lowest price.
“We need to be saying that customers deserve to have choices. But you can’t just contract with a pharmacy that you own when you’re the PBM that owns the pharmacy. Because that’s not competition. That’s not a market,” Sand said.

Radio Iowa: Sand pledges PBM crack down if he’s elected governor

State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor, says it’s time to “crack down” on pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs that restrict where patients may fill their prescriptions. PBMs work with insurance companies to set prescription drug prices.
“PBMs have a business plan oriented around making things as secretive and confusing as possible,” Sand said during a news conference in a central Iowa pharmacy that’s losing money filling prescriptions. “….The harder they make it for people to understand what’s going on with prescription drugs, the more money off of their backs.”

Learn more about Rob’s health care roundtable in Iowa City below:

KGAN: Governor candidate Rob Sand holds health care roundtable discussion in Iowa City

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand made a campaign stop in Iowa City Tuesday.
The discussion looked at issues like access to care, a shortage of health care workers and how much health care costs for Iowans.
“Part of the problem that’s contributing to us losing health care professionals is two-fold,” Sand told Iowa’s News Now. “Number one, we don’t see good reimbursement rates in Iowa. We ought to have competitive reimbursement rates that we can have health care professionals in Iowa. The other thing that we could do that’d make a tremendous difference is reversing the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa.”
Sand promoted his “A Healthier Iowa for All” plan aimed at addressing the state’s cancer rates. The event also comes a couple of weeks after a stop in Cedar Rapids by Sand, where he held a similar type of roundtable discussion with mental health experts.

The Gazette: Rob Sand says he’d veto abortion limits, end Medicaid privatization at healthcare roundtable

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand outlined his plans to address the loss of healthcare professionals in Iowa on Tuesday at a roundtable with members of the SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa union.
Sand, the current state auditor, cited ending the privatization of Iowa’s Medicaid system and increasing reimbursement rates for Iowa healthcare workers as key steps to keep talent in the state, and stated his commitment to opposing future restrictions on abortion. However, Sand said he would need to work with the Legislature to address some of the concerns roundtable participants brought up.
“I don’t make promises to people that I can’t keep,” Sand said. “What I want to do is talk about these issues when they arrive and help people understand the damage that it’s going to do to the state of Iowa.”
However, Sand said he would veto any bill that would further restrict Iowans’ abortion access. He said the abortion ban made medical care for expecting mothers more challenging and referenced claims that in some cases when pregnant patients were sick and need to terminate their pregnancy, hospital administrators wouldn’t allow it until their health deteriorated further. This practice, Sand said, contributes to Iowa’s OB-GYN shortage.
“It makes it harder for us to find people who are planning a career in delivering babies to be here in Iowa, because they want to be able to make the right decision for the health of their patient without having them get so sick,” Sand said.
Sand said participants in previous roundtable discussions shared stories of hospitals having to hire additional staff to tackle contested claims from managed care organizations and taking out credit to pay their bills because of how difficult it was to get reimbursement.