Iowa Democrats Launch Ad Criticizing Rep. Latham for Medicare Stance

The Iowa Democratic Party has been airing a television ad criticizing Rep. Tom Latham (R) for voting in favor of a $29 billion supplemental spending bill that would have increased Medicare reimbursements for some rural hospitals in New York and Pennsylvania, the Des Moines Register reports. The ad shows a "well-dressed" elderly woman trying on several pairs of "stylish" glasses. The narrator states, "In New York, Medicare covers everything from prescription drugs to eyeglasses." The ad then shows an elderly couple, both of whom are wearing glasses, examining several bills. The narrator says, "Here in Iowa, seniors on Medicare pay for necessities like glasses themselves. So why did Congressman Tom Latham vote to give even more Medicare money to hospitals in New York? Tell Tom Latham it's time to put Iowa first." According to a Register analysis, the ad does not mention that the supplemental funding measure was included is a homeland security and assistance bill for New York after the Sept. 11 attacks. The Register reports that the additional Medicare funding was stripped out of the final compromise bill. In addition, the Register reports that Latham later supported a prescription drug bill that included about $100 million in additional Medicare reimbursements for Iowa, which has the lowest reimbursement rates in the nation for Medicare. The Register analysis also points out that Iowa does not have any Medicare+Choice plans, which often include additional benefits such as coverage for prescription glasses, and that only certain members of Medicare HMOs in New York receive such benefits (Norman, Des Moines Register, 10/3).