Articles Tagged: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

After three years of failures, Iowa lawmakers late Wednesday reached an agreement on how to spend tens of millions of dollars that have been sitting idle in a state account, waiting to be used for the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.

In addition to $10 million Iowa paid two siblings of a teenage girl who died of starvation in the care of her adoptive parents in 2017, the state has agreed to pay a third sibling $4.2 million after being “severely physically abused, neglected, and tortured.”

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.

Seven former Independence Mental Health Institute nurses have filed claims of gross negligence against the state and Iowa Health and Human Services. Some of them have shared stories of assaults that resulted in a miscarriage, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Partial funding of Title X family planning services has raised concerns, with an Iowa clinic receiving less than half its previous funding.

During a public comment meeting Wednesday, Iowans voiced their frustration and concern over a proposal by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to require most able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work at least 100 hours per month.

Eastern Iowa nonprofits are preparing for change as the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services works to finalize details of its new behavioral health districts, which will go into effect on July 1.

Many of the roughly 181,000 Iowans in the state’s version of Medicaid expansion would be subject to work requirements, and the entire program could be eliminated if the federal government ever disallows work requirements, under legislation approved this week by Republican state lawmakers.

Some Iowans receiving state-funded Medicaid coverage and food assistance would be required to work at least 80 hours a month to receive benefits under legislation critics say would put thousands of vulnerable Iowans at risk.

Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says requirements in the settlement agreement will lead to a state children’s mental health care system that ‘addresses the needs of children’

The settlement agreement resolves a 2023 lawsuit that accused the State of Iowa of failing to provide federally required mental and behavioral health care services for Medicaid-eligible children

Just 28.3 percent of Iowans had received the flu vaccine as of Dec. 20, which would be the lowest rate in at least 7 years

Also, state says school for troubled boys reaches ‘substantial compliance’ with oversight

Gov. Kim Reynolds in May signed into law a plan to overhaul and combine Iowa’s delivery system for mental and behavioral health services — which advocates hope will improve access for patients.

The USDA said Iowa failed to provide “compelling evidence of the potential benefits of an untested alternative model.” Gov. Kim Reynolds said Iowa will reapply for a waiver under the new Trump administration.