(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Democrat Josh Turek says that if elected to the U.S. Senate, he would vote to increase funding for cancer research and Medicaid, which many cancer patients rely on for coverage.
Iowa has the second-highest rate of new cancer cases in the country. The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 23,000 Iowans will be diagnosed this year. During a forum hosted by the group’s Cancer Action Network, Turek said addressing water quality is essential to reducing Iowa’s cancer rate.
Turek says more federal support is needed for water-quality sensors and nitrate-removal plants. He also called for incentives to help farmers adopt conservation practices.
Turek’s says cancer has deeply affected his own family — his grandmother died of pancreatic cancer, his father developed two cancers likely tied to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, and his sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. He says her private insurance denied a doctor-recommended PET scan, adding that doctors — not insurance companies — should be determining patient care.
Iowa congressional candidates and both candidates for governor have appeared at similar Cancer Action Network events. A spokesman for Turek’s opponent, Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, says she is working to schedule a meeting with the group.
