Latest news with #IowaHealthandWellnessPlan
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Iowa Passes Medicaid Work Requirement
Iowa lawmakers have approved a bill mandating that certain Medicaid recipients work to retain benefits, a move expected to affect tens of thousands of constituents who use the health program. The new legislation makes Iowa one of the latest states to pursue such requirements. Georgia remains the only state with work requirements already in place, but may others have similar legislation pending approval or at various stages of implementation. Newsweek has contacted Iowa lawmakers and the state's Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email outside regular working hours. Iowa's new Medicaid work requirement is expected to affect low-income adults who receive health care through the state's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A number of states have recently pushed for Medicaid work requirements. On the federal level, House Republicans have proposed similar requirements as part of its budget. Generally, critics of work requirements warn they will substantially weaken the Medicaid system, the largest public health insurance program in the country, by forcing millions off the service. Supporters argue that work requirements will foster employment, reduce fraudulent claims and improve personal responsibility. The bill seeks to include work requirements as a condition of eligibility for those on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, meaning they use Medicaid under the ACA expansion. The legislation said, "The goal of including work requirements is to reduce the dependence of low-income Iowans on public assistance programs through efforts that advance economic stability and mobility." To be eligible for the program, Iowans 19 to 64 years old would have to work 80 hours a month, although some recipients would be exempt from the ruling. Those who are "determined to be disabled by the United States social security administration" are exempt. Exemptions also include those identified as "medically frail," caregivers of a child under the age of 6 and people with "high risk" pregnancies. As the bill has been deemed of "immediate importance," the new rules would come into effect upon its enactment. According to the bill, if federal law or regulations affecting work requirements for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan are "modified to exclude work requirements as a basis for maintaining eligibility," the department will discontinue the plan entirely, if it gets approval to do so. A fiscal note on the bill said that as of April, 183,000 Iowans were enrolled on the state's Medicaid expansion program. Of those enrollees, the report expected 32,000 individuals to lose coverage beginning in 2026 because of the requirements. The report also anticipated that the new requirements would decrease the state's total Medicaid expenditures by about $2.5 million in the financial year 2026 and by about $14.4 million in the financial year 2027. The Iowa State Democrats account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote on Tuesday: "Many Iowans rely on state funding to help cover their healthcare needs. The scale of our maternal healthcare crisis is growing. The Medicaid waiver waitlist for Iowans with disabilities is growing. This Republican budget proposal fails to bring relief to those Iowans in need." The Iowa Democrats X account wrote on Tuesday: "Countless Iowans rely on Medicaid to access healthcare coverage. Iowa Republicans in D.C. plan to ignore the concerns of their constituents and rip away their coverage to pay for a $4.5 trillion tax cut for the wealthy." Democratic state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott said: "Taking away people's health care does not help them work. It often keeps people out of the workforce, because then they can't pay for their medications, they can't get the care they need. They end up getting sicker. They end up missing more work." Republican state Senator Mike Klimesh said: "So at the end of demonstration year five, we will see a savings in the state of Iowa as a result of this program of $50 million. $50 million in savings that we can really reallocate or reappropriate to other areas, perhaps work with our programs. We may be able to develop with further communication between ourselves in the House." The Iowa Senate approved the bill in a 33-13 vote, the Des Moines Register reported. It went back to the House, which passed it in a 56-30 vote on Wednesday. The legislation now heads to Governor Kim Reynolds, who is expected to sign it. Related Articles Mike Johnson Has Mountain to Climb to Pass GOP Tax BillBen & Jerry's Co-Founder Arrested During RFK Jr. TestimonyDonald Trump Won't Sign His Own Bill, Josh Hawley SaysMap Shows Where Medicaid Cuts Could Close Hospitals 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
16-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Iowa Passes Medicaid Work Requirement
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Iowa lawmakers have approved a bill mandating that certain Medicaid recipients work to retain benefits, a move expected to affect tens of thousands of constituents who use the health program. The new legislation makes Iowa one of the latest states to pursue such requirements. Georgia remains the only state with work requirements already in place, but may others have similar legislation pending approval or at various stages of implementation. Newsweek has contacted Iowa lawmakers and the state's Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email outside regular working hours. Why It Matters Iowa's new Medicaid work requirement is expected to affect low-income adults who receive health care through the state's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A number of states have recently pushed for Medicaid work requirements. On the federal level, House Republicans have proposed similar requirements as part of its budget. Generally, critics of work requirements warn they will substantially weaken the Medicaid system, the largest public health insurance program in the country, by forcing millions off the service. Supporters argue that work requirements will foster employment, reduce fraudulent claims and improve personal responsibility. What To Know The bill seeks to include work requirements as a condition of eligibility for those on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, meaning they use Medicaid under the ACA expansion. The legislation said, "The goal of including work requirements is to reduce the dependence of low-income Iowans on public assistance programs through efforts that advance economic stability and mobility." To be eligible for the program, Iowans 19 to 64 years old would have to work 80 hours a month, although some recipients would be exempt from the ruling. Those who are "determined to be disabled by the United States social security administration" are exempt. Exemptions also include those identified as "medically frail," caregivers of a child under the age of 6 and people with "high risk" pregnancies. As the bill has been deemed of "immediate importance," the new rules would come into effect upon its enactment. According to the bill, if federal law or regulations affecting work requirements for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan are "modified to exclude work requirements as a basis for maintaining eligibility," the department will discontinue the plan entirely, if it gets approval to do so. A fiscal note on the bill said that as of April, 183,000 Iowans were enrolled on the state's Medicaid expansion program. Of those enrollees, the report expected 32,000 individuals to lose coverage beginning in 2026 because of the requirements. The report also anticipated that the new requirements would decrease the state's total Medicaid expenditures by about $2.5 million in the financial year 2026 and by about $14.4 million in the financial year 2027. A stock photo of the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. A stock photo of the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Charlie Neibergall/AP What People Are Saying The Iowa State Democrats account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote on Tuesday: "Many Iowans rely on state funding to help cover their healthcare needs. The scale of our maternal healthcare crisis is growing. The Medicaid waiver waitlist for Iowans with disabilities is growing. This Republican budget proposal fails to bring relief to those Iowans in need." The Iowa Democrats X account wrote on Tuesday: "Countless Iowans rely on Medicaid to access healthcare coverage. Iowa Republicans in D.C. plan to ignore the concerns of their constituents and rip away their coverage to pay for a $4.5 trillion tax cut for the wealthy." Democratic state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott said: "Taking away people's health care does not help them work. It often keeps people out of the workforce, because then they can't pay for their medications, they can't get the care they need. They end up getting sicker. They end up missing more work." Republican state Senator Mike Klimesh said: "So at the end of demonstration year five, we will see a savings in the state of Iowa as a result of this program of $50 million. $50 million in savings that we can really reallocate or reappropriate to other areas, perhaps work with our programs. We may be able to develop with further communication between ourselves in the House." What Happens Next The Iowa Senate approved the bill in a 33-13 vote, the Des Moines Register reported. It went back to the House, which passed it in a 56-30 vote on Wednesday. The legislation now heads to Governor Kim Reynolds, who is expected to sign it.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unemployment insurance tax, other bills sent to Gov. Reynolds' desk
DES MOINES, Iowa — On Wednesday evening the Iowa House and Senate sent numerous bills over to the governor's desk to be signed into law. A bill that lowers the unemployment insurance taxes on Iowa businesses advanced through both chambers on Wednesday, advancing in both with a party-line vote. The bill lowers the tax rate levied on employers that is used to fund unemployment benefits in the state. House Republicans argued that with a lowered rate, business owners have the ability to give employees better benefits. 'The proposal encourages businesses to use these savings on salaries, benefits, paid leave during seasonal layoffs to reduce the use of the unemployment system,' said State Representative David Young (R), District 28 from Van Meter. 'This proposal sees $975 million put back in our economy to benefit employers, employees and Iowa consumers.' House Democrats argued that with the thousands of layoffs so far this year in the state, this bill is giving businesses a break and not helping the workforce. 'Our fund has more money in it because we've cut unemployment benefits for workers and now we're going to reward those companies by giving them a $1 billion tax cut,' said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D), District 32 from Windsor Heights. '4,200 Iowans have received layoff notices this year.' That bill is now eligible to be signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds, the bill was her proposal. Other bills that made it to her desk include paid parental leave for state employees. That bill gives four weeks for mothers, one week for fathers and four weeks in cases of adoption. In the more than $2 billion budget bill for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, a provision prohibits money allocated for those on the state's Medicaid expansion from being used for reimbursements for sex reassignment surgery. State Medicaid expansion work requirements also made it to the governor's desk earlier in the day; which requires 80 hours of work per month for Iowans who are able on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. A bill that distributes the money from the opioid settlement fund was also agreed upon by both chambers and advanced through. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa Senate sends expanded Medicaid work requirements bill back to the House
Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, spoke May 13, 2025 on the legislation to implement work requirements for Iowa's expanded Medicaid program. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Senate on Tuesday sent back to the House a bill to implement work requirements for the Medicaid program, although the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has already requested a waiver from the federal government to implement similar requirements. There are some differences between Senate File 615 and the waiver request announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds in April. The legislative proposal would require people who receive health coverage through Iowa Health and Wellness Plan (IHAWP), the Medicaid coverage available for low-income, able-bodied adults from ages 19 to 64, to work at least 80 hours each month to stay in the program. The HHS proposal sets a higher work requirement of 100 hours per month, and includes other means to retain IHAWP coverage, such as being enrolled in education or job skills programs, or earning the equivalent in wages to working 100 hours a month at $7.25 per hour. Both versions of the proposal contain exceptions for certain groups, including people with disabilities, individuals who are in a substance abuse treatment program for up to six months, and those with children under age 6. While the legislative proposal has a lower monthly work requirement, it also contains a provision that would end the IHAWP program entirely if work requirements are ever approved by the federal government and later revoked. Iowa HHS would be directed to discontinue the expanded Medicaid program if federal law or regulations are changed to exclude work requirements in the future — contingent on the federal government having previously approved Iowa's implementation of these restrictions. Ending IHAWP would be subject to federal approval. If ending the program is not allowed, the state department would be directed to implement an alternative plan. Both the Senate and House have approved this measure, but the House had sent the legislation back to the Senate with an amendment clarifying the language calling for the discontinuation of IHAWP if the federal government revokes work requirement approval, in addition to adding a requirement for HHS to conduct and submit a report to lawmakers on the Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD) program by Dec. 15, 2025 — before the 2026 legislative session. The Senate amended the House's change to remove the language calling for a MEPD report. Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, said the report was unnecessary as conversations on this topic will occur 'on a voluntary basis' before the legislature reconvenes in 2026. Democrats criticized the measure, which they said will remove, due to reporting requirements, low-income people who are working and are in need of health coverage. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, compared the feedback lawmakers received at the subcommittee meetings discussing IHAWP work requirements to the subcommittee held on the 'Work Without Worry' legislation that proposed removing Medicaid income and asset limits for Iowans with disabilities. While advocates and Iowans who attended at the 'Work Without Worry' bill subcommittee praised the measure for allowing them to return to the workforce without risking the loss of health coverage, people at the subcommittee meeting for the bill setting Medicaid work requirements overwhelmingly spoke against the proposal. 'Everyone who was a local Iowan showing up on behalf of folks with disabilities, children, pregnant mothers, just folks in the population who are low income and struggling — trying so hard to make ends meet — they said this bill will hurt Iowans,' Trone Garriott said. 'It will push people off of their health care. In other states where it's been implemented, legislation like this has just made it harder for people who do qualify to actually get the paperwork done and stay on.' While supporters have said work requirements will help reduce the costs of Medicaid, Trone Garriott said other states that have implemented similar work requirements have not seen significant savings, and that these requirements will raise overall health care costs in the state because it will cause more people to be uninsured. 'We have a growing number of people who are uninsured when measures like this are enacted, and those folks end up seeking charity care at emergency rooms and hospitals,' she said. 'Charity care is not free. A health care provider needs to spread out the cost, shift those costs on the other folks in order to keep paying the bills and keeping their doors open. It raises costs on everyone when folks are not insured.' Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner also said the legislature is moving forward with this measure 'without having any firm idea what the fiscal impact will be.' The Legislative Services Agency fiscal notes on the bill stated the nonpartisan agency did not receive responses to multiple requests for information from HHS about the financial impact of implementing work requirements. Klimesh said HHS has included fiscal impact estimates in its waiver request over a demonstration period of five years that have found a cumulative savings of $50 million for the state, and held public hearings on the proposal, a part of the process of seeking approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Klimesh also pointed to movement by the U.S. Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce to make federal changes to Medicaid which includes requirements for able-bodied people between ages 19 to 65 to work, attend educational programs or participate in community service for at least 80 hours a month to stay eligible for coverage. 'Essentially, if you look at the blueprints the federal government is utilizing, it almost lines up specifically with what the state's requirements are,' Klimesh said. The bill was approved as amended in a 33-13 vote, and returns to the Iowa House.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Questions and concerns raised by Iowans worried about work requirements for state health benefits
URBANDALE, Iowa — Just eight days ago, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she was directing the state department of health and human services to request a waiver from the federal government. That waiver seeks permission for the state to add work requirements as a contingent for receiving state health benefits. The governor's office estimates that around 100,000 'able-bodied' adults are on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, known as the state's Medicaid expansion, that are not working. The waiver asks permission for there to be a 100 hour per month work requirement for those who are able. Wednesday marked the first of two public comment periods, with people meeting at the Urbandale Public Library to raise concerns to state employees. From worrying about family members, clients and themselves, members of the public explained how the waiver could impact their life. 'Just trying to find jobs where I can work from home and take care of her at the same time. It's just a real hassle because there just aren't the jobs out there,' said Heather Sanders from Ankeny. Sanders told WHO 13 News that she has applied to hundreds of jobs, but has not had any luck because of barriers she describes as age, and her need to work from home. Sanders takes care of her elderly mother full time and needs to find work that is flexible for appointments for her mother during the day. Several thousand gallons of sewage entered Saylor Creek in Ankeny, DNR says 'They kind of view it as just like numbers on a page and they don't look at the people that are affected by it,' said Lori Hunt from Des Moines. Hunt is not currently enrolled in Medicaid, she gets her health coverage from a tax credit through the Affordable Care Act. She said that finding work is difficult, as when she hits a certain income threshold she would be dropped from her coverage. Some Iowans at the hour-long public comment portion came to speak about family members or clients they have had in the past; and concerns they have about individuals having work required when they may not be able. 'Our legislators only care about their pocketbooks, not our pocketbooks. They care about what they're getting. They don't care about any of us, the want us ground down,' said Terry Anderson from Ankeny. Terry has a disabled son who is in his thirties, and he wanted to let out his frustrations at the hearing today for his son. 'I truly think people that are legislating do not have a clue, do not understand, haven't been there, haven't worked with these individuals and don't see them day to day,' said Karen Maass from Urbandale. Maass is a retired physical therapist who has worked for public schools and home health visits. She expressed worry for clients she used to work with who are on state Medicaid coverage and may be required to work when they can't. The 100 hours a month requirement, if accepted, will be enforced starting January 1, 2026. Those who are 19 to 64 years old on the state program and are not exempt from work requirements will wait to see what happens with the work requirements bill floating through the statehouse. The bill requires only 80 hours of work a month compared to the 100 in the initial waiver request. The next public comment period is in Marshalltown at the public library from 2-3 p.m. on April 29. Iowa News: PHOTOS: Severe thunderstorms bring hail to Iowa Questions and concerns raised by Iowans worried about work requirements for state health benefits Forecast: More storms tonight and Thursday WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, April 23rd Iowa town hall attendees turn on each other as Sen. Grassley faces heated questions Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
