This is not politics as usual

There is a decision being made soon that will shatter families, take away care from our most vulnerable, and force parents to choose between no longer being able to care for their children or sending them to an institution or group home.

Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through Medicaid is proposing changes that would slash the amount of care families can receive for their loved ones with the most significant disabilities. Right now, families can get support for up to 14 hours a day — enough to help keep their adult child safe, supervised, and cared for in their own home.

The proposed rule would cut that nearly in half — down to just 7.75 hours a day. That means a child who needs help with nearly everything — eating, bathing, taking medications, staying safe — would suddenly lose almost 6.25 hours of care every single day.

For families, this would be devastating. Parents who have built a stable, loving home for their adult child may no longer be able to keep them there. They would face the heart-wrenching choice of giving up their job to stay home or moving their child into an institution or group home. Yet in Iowa, options are already scarce — there are few available placements, and even fewer with the properly trained staff to care for people with severe disabilities. Families would be left with impossible choices in a system that cannot meet the need.

I know such a family who have become dear friends. Their daughter, who is 28, needs 24/7 care and cannot be left alone. Loving and joyful, she gives the best hugs. She has never known a day in her life without the care and support of her parents, siblings, and a beautiful extended family who surround her with love. Cutting this family’s support in half would not only put her at risk, but it would also tear apart the home that has allowed her to thrive with dignity and joy.

My grandmother had a saying: “We do not get well at other people’s expense.” Cutting funding in half for this family — and thousands like them — is the State of Iowa’s budget trying to “get well” at their expense. We are better than this.

“To suggest the proposed code change is simply ‘correcting an error’ without acknowledging it’s implication on people’s lives is dismissive, lacks an awareness and leaves individuals with high needs with service gaps and no viable solution,” wrote Ann Brownsberger, Mary Roberts and Brenda Kurtz, who serve on the executive board of the Village Community in West Branch.

The public comment period ends Sept. 19, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. Let your representatives — and the State of Iowa — know that our most vulnerable deserve dignity, love, and safety, not less. We as Iowans are better than this.

Legislators & Elected Officials: Find your Iowa State legislators by address, city, or ZIP: at Find Your Legislator — Iowa Legislature. Find your member of U.S. Find your U.S. senators and representatives via Congress.gov: Find Your Member — Congress.gov Congress.gov

Roxanne Erdahl, PCC is a lifelong businesswoman in Johnson and Linn Counties through her company Erdahl Coaching and Consulting. Roxanne@erdahlcoaching.com