Oppose HF 656 to Protect Iowans’ Access to Affordable Vision Care

Affordable, accessible eye care is essential to everyday life. If you cannot see clearly, you cannot work, read, drive, or even navigate the aisles in a grocery store. Many Iowans and their families depend on access to vision care that they can afford, but that is threatened by recent state legislation, HF 656, which would drive-up costs for constituents like me.

 

Today, everyone is busy, seemingly all the time. People have little time for regular tasks like eye doctors’ visits or ordering new contacts, let alone finding a new provider, finding out if they take your insurance, and scheduling an appointment. In this way, providing real access to vision care services for Iowans means it must be convenient. We should be able to easily search for providers that meet our individual needs.

 

For myself and more than 3.2 million Iowans, access to affordable vision care empowers me to live our lives to the fullest. Vision exams help quickly diagnose serious medical conditions, like Iowa’s leading cause of death — heart disease.
Vision care gives our children the ability to learn and perform their best. Eighty percent of classroom learning comes from the eyes, and because 1 in 4 children experience vision issues, affordable and accessible care ensures that our children are able to live their best lives, in and out of the classroom.

 

In recent years, we have seen health insurance costs rise by nearly 70%. With recent inflation, we are paying more than $1,000 more per month for the same goods and services as we were in 2021. To put it simply, HF 656 is too expensive. We can’t afford legislation that will continue to drive up costs and limit accessibility.
Opposing HF 656 is not only the right option for constituents like me, but also for all hardworking Iowans who rely on affordable vision care to live, work, and learn.