WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is releasing five videos, one every day this week, looking back at memorable moments from his annual 99 county meetings and how they have helped inform his work for Iowans. Grassley holds at least one question-and-answer session with Iowans in each of Iowa’s 99 counties annually, and has done so every year since he was elected to the United States Senate. This week, Grassley is holding meetings in 17 different counties. Today’s video recalls the grassroots rebellion that got Congress’s attention after the passage of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988. The video can be found here and the text can be found below.

It’s no secret that Congress faces gridlock on many issues, from immigration reform to annual spending bills. There’s one sure-fire way to unlock partisan sand grinding the gears of government to a standstill. And that’s a grassroots prairie fire.

One of the most memorable moments that I recall a grassroots rebellion getting the attention of Congress was after passage of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988. The federal law created a new tax on senior citizens to put Medicare on better financial footing and also expand Medicare coverage for hospital stays and long-term care. The new benefits would be financed by increased premiums and higher taxes on Medicare beneficiaries.

The one-size-fits-all law mandated coverage and also taxes that became extremely unpopular among seniors. Ironically, looking back, Congress didn’t learn lessons from the folly of the law. Arguably, the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act shares a number of flaws that plague what we call ObamaCare today. Such as government mandates, penalties and surtaxes.

So angry constituents flooded Congress with petitions, phone calls and letters. The law became a political catastrophe. Congress voted for full repeal just a year after its passage. It’s an example of a grassroots prairie fire that put heat on lawmakers to answer to their constituents.

Throughout 38 years of holding annual county meetings in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, at least once every year, I expect Iowans to hold my feet to the fire, and they do. Keeping in touch keeps me accountable. And that happens to be the very essence of representative government.

 

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