By Dan Gearino QUAD-CITY TIMES

DES MOINES — Three Iowa governors said Thursday that voters need to demand answers from presidential candidates about health-care issues.Former governors Tom Vilsack and Terry Branstad are two of the Iowa co-chairmen of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, a national coalition of organized labor, business and religious groups.

Branstad said “any serious candidate” for the presidency needs to address the need to improve treatment of chronic diseases. He said the cost of treating chronic diseases is growing at an unsustainable rate, which threatens to do serious harm to the economy.

The union, which also is  involved with the chronic diseases initiative, is asking presidential candidates to present comprehensive health care plans by Aug. 1.

Just about every major Democratic candidate has presented a health-care plan.

Vilsack was a presidential candidate from late November of last year until he dropped out in February, citing an inability to raise money.

Branstad is president of Des Moines University, a medical school.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease will visit Davenport today to raise awareness of the practices and policies surrounding preventative health care.