Des Moines Register

Hillary Clinton would require all Americans to have health insurance, just as most states require drivers to carry car insurance.

Her plan, unveiled Monday in Des Moines, would offer tax subsidies to help those who can't afford coverage. Americans could choose from private plans or a government plan.

Those who like their current insurance plan would be able to keep it, she said. Those who are uninsured or who don't like their work-based coverage would have two choices: a program… more

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of the Democrats seeking the presidency, unveiled a national energy plan Thursday that places a high priority on ethanol and other biofuels produced in Iowa."I would say that on a scale of 10, the use and promotion of biofuels and biodiesel and ethanol would be at about a 9.5 level," Richardson said in a conference call with Iowa reporters.Richardson, who was secretary of energy in the Clinton administration, and his… more

Hurricane Katrina graphically showed how many Americans live in abject poverty, one natural disaster away from losing the few assets they have.

But many Iowans have equally few assets to weather a similar financial setback, whether the cause is a natural disaster like Katrina or an economic one, such as losing a job. More than half of households in our state headed by adults 55 and older lack retirement assets, such as pensions and annuities. Among low-income households in Iowa… more