UPFRONT by State Representative Dave Heaton

February 28, 2011

Title:  Welcome to My Cupboard

This last Sunday I received one of the highest acknowledgments in my time serving as your State Representative.  I received a “Thistle” from The Des Moines Register Editorial Board weekly column, “Roses and Thistles.” I was accused of micro-management, chided and criticized for wanting to limit the use of food stamps to basic and healthy foods.

The food stamp program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, “SNAP” as it is now called, has been with us off and on for 70 years.  Begun by FDR in 1939, and ending in 1943, the program helped 20 million people buy the groceries they so desperately needed during the depression and WWII.

President John F Kennedy reestablished the program as a pilot program from 1961 to 1964.  President Lyndon Johnson made the food stamp program permanent and the number of people served rapidly grew in number in the 70’s and 80’s.  During this time, stamp holders were restricted to the type of foods their stamps were able to buy.

In the 1990’s and 2000’s, the program evolved into what we have today.  All benefits are issued electronically through the use of an electronic benefit transfer card (EBT) and there are few restrictions as to the foods purchased.  Alcoholic beverages and prepared foods are disallowed.  Snack foods are permissible. 

The State of Iowa offers two main food assistance programs. The first is the food assistance program “SNAP” which provides electronic benefit cards which can be used to buy groceries at grocery stores, super markets and participating farmers markets.  Though there is emphasis placed on buying healthy foods, snacks are allowable if they meet certain criteria.  Candy, sodas, ice cream, chips, crackers and non-alcoholic beverages including the popular sugar-loaded power drinks are allowed.  Even bottled water is considered a food. 

Iowa has a second food assistance program called WIC (Women Infants Children), a supplemental food program for new mothers, babies, and children under the age of five.  WIC   not only has restrictions on the food you can buy, but also an official approved foods list which must be followed.  There is no food category for snacks on the WIC approval food list.  The WIC food list is quite restrictive (whole wheat bread only, a limit on starches and sugar included in canned fruits and cereals.)

Why do I ask the Department of Human Services to ask USDA, who administers the nutrition SNAP program, for a waiver to remove some foods eligible for food stamps?   For the same reason USDA and advocate groups in Iowa have sought to promote the use of better foods offered our children through the school lunch program, and discouraging the availability of sodas and candy in our schools.  If it’s good for the children, why not the individuals and families utilizing our SNAP program? 

The Register advised me “Heaton needs to keep his nose in his own cupboards.”

Well, welcome to my cupboard! 

The last two generations of Americans have ignored good nutrition.  Fast food, over consumption of sugars and fats and lack of exercise have allowed Iowans to become one of the most obese states in the country.  My Medicaid budget this year will be $1 billion dollars in state’s share, representing almost $3 billion in health care.  Forty percent of this amount will address the cost of long-term care.  The remaining 60 percent totaling $1.8 billion dollars will provide for medical care.  Eighty percent of that amount, $1.44 billion dollars, will be spent on chronic disease.  The state’s share of this expense will be $576 million dollars. 

Diabetes, chronic heart disease, and vascular disease are the result of Iowan’s making poor choices in nutrition. 

Iowa’s SNAP Program provides food assistance to 330,000 Iowans, representing over ten percent of Iowa’s population.  They utilize $530 million dollars in food assistance.   It seems to me that if we are going to get a handle on the cost of health care, we need to promote and do all we can to encourage all Iowans to make healthy choices.  For those who are on food assistance, they should be directed to the type of foods that will not only help them with their chronic diseases, but for those who are younger, it would act as prevention. 

Understand I am not restricting the ability of Iowans to make choices.  If people want to continue to eat unhealthy foods, it should be on their dollar and not the tax payer. 

The affordable care act is scheduled to go into place in 2014.  We will expand Medicaid to an additional 130,000 Iowans.  I realize that this bill, HF 288, is only a request to the USDA to allow Iowa to have a waiver that would restrict the use of food assistance benefits with low nutritional value.  Up to now, many states have made this request and the waivers have been denied.  I strongly feel that we need to have a national discussion on this issue, because hundreds of billions of dollars in food assistance are being used that result in chronic disease.  If health care is to be affordable, and costs are brought under control, we must do more than talk nutrition, we must act. 

Visitors to the Legislature this week included Henry County Sheriff Allen Wittmer.

My mailing address is:

Dave Heaton, State Representative, State House, Des Moines, Iowa 50319

Phone:  515-281-7327 ~ Fax: 515-281-6958

E-mail:  dave.heaton@legis.state.ia.us

Web page: http://www.daveheaton.net

If you have any issues or concerns, please contact me.

Be sure to include your name and address with any communication to my office.

State Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, represents the 91st House District,

which includes all of Henry County and the northern half of Lee County.

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