I call or email my elected representatives on a regular basis. In 2009, when Obamacare was being debated, not only in Congress, but all across the country, I formed my own opinions on how President Barack Obama’s care would impact my family, neighbors and business associates. I called 1st Congressional District Rep. Tim Walz’ office. I told Rep. Walz’s aid that I believed that Obamacare would not lower our health care costs and insurance premiums, but the opposite would happen. Costs and insurance premiums would go up and actually skyrocket for some.

Before I could finish explaining my opinion on Obama care, Rep. Walz’s aid cut me off and said, “Mr. Nowak, if you believe your health insurance  premium will go up even $1 because of Obamacare, you are not a very intelligent person.”

I was stunned. I couldn’t believe that my elected representative would be so judgmental. I was disappointed that Rep Walz would not listen to my opinion and that he had apparently made up his mind to support Obamacare, regardless how his constituents felt.

Moving forward to October 2013, when Obamacare was initially being rolled out, my wife received her notice from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Her health policy premium was being increased by $3,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2014. That was a 24 percent increase.  I called Rep. Walz’s office again, to inform him what was actually occurring with premiums to his constituents in the 1st District.

This is what they said: Yes, we did know that health insurance premiums would go up for some, but on a national level, premium increases are confined just to those folks that get health care through Mayo Clinic Health System.

The explanation was that Mayo Clinic Health System is such a high-cost provider of health care that the insurance companies are forced to raise rates. Rep Walz’s staff denied that rates were going up for many people all over the country. This was reported to be false later.

So again I was really miffed at Rep. Walz. Instead of admitting that he and his staff were wrong about the health care cost impact of Obamacare, he chose to lay blame on Mayo to justify his strong support for Obamacare. Yes, this is the same Mayo Clinic Health System that is recognized as one of the greatest health organizations in the world. The same Mayo Clinic Health System that has provided cutting edge medical care for many of our family and neighbors here in the 1st District and beyond.

Because of Rep. Walz’s continued strong support for Obamacare that is negatively impacting many of us hard-working people in the 1st District and for Rep. Walz’s strong support of many other failed policies and programs of the Obama administration, it is time for the 1st Congressional District to elect new representation.

That’s why I am supporting Jim Hagedorn during this campaign. I will vote for Jim Hagedorn on Election Day, Nov. 4.

 

Mark S. Nowak

ag consultant, farmer

Wells