Articles Tagged: Health Care Policies

Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on a wide range of oversight and policy issues during a hearing Thursday.

Iowa names new Medicaid director as the state adjusts to federal Medicaid work requirements, spending cuts and eligibility changes passed by state and federal lawmakers.

Christina Bohannan, who is challenging Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s First District, visits Washington County Hospital to discuss impacts health spending cuts will have on rural health care systems.

Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, described himself as a “baseball-playing, monopoly-busting, beer-drinking, Bible-reading, working-class proud prairie populist from Sioux City, Iowa, and a sixth generation Iowan” when he spoke with dozens of people who turned out for a Cedar Rapids campaign event Tuesday evening.

A state request for proposals sheds lights on the reasons why Iowa is considering privatizing its prison health care services, potentially entering an arena that has faced issues in other states, according to advocates.

A retired Army nurse and former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids has filed paperwork to run as a Democrat to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson for Northeast Iowa's U.S. House seat in 2026.

Iowa nonprofits that provide support and services to Iowans with complex mental health challenges say they are alarmed and concerned by plans to end a state program that provides holistic care coordination for children and adults with mental health conditions, with little notice given.

Iowa’s U.S. House members — all Republicans — voted Thursday to pass President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion tax breaks and spending cuts bill, sending it to him to sign before the Fourth of July holiday weekend and just a few hours before Trump was set to speak in Des Moines at an event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Pharmacy benefit managers — or PBMs — will face new restrictions designed to constrain prescription drug costs and protect rural pharmacies under legislation signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Iowa remains in the top tier of states in overall child well-being, but saw declines in indicators related to economic well-being and education outcomes, according to an Annie E. Casey Foundation report published Monday.

The Republican governor pushed most — but not all — her priorities across the finish line.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: Iowa Senate Republicans approve work requirements for Medicaid recipients

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds this week signed a slate of bills into law. Among them is legislation designed to make it easier for health care providers to open new birthing centers in the state.

Friday is the 110th calendar day of the 2025 session of the Iowa Legislature. It is the last day that state lawmakers will receive their stipend for daily housing and meal expenses. While their work is nearing completion, here are some of the important tasks that remain.

Under a proposal advanced by Iowa Senate Republicans, Iowa Medicaid would no longer cover surgical, hormonal and other procedures related to treating Iowans with gender dysphoria. Critics warn the move could endanger the health and lives of Iowans.