Latest news with #OpioidSettlementFund
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor signs Medicaid work requirements, Opioid Settlement Fund bills into law
Gov. Kim Reynolds, seen here in a file photo from May 2023, signed two dozen bills Friday. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Gov. Kim Reynolds signed more than 20 bills into law Friday, including funding for the state's Opioid Settlement Fund and state-level Medicaid work requirements. The governor has a little more than a week, until June 14, to sign the remaining bills passed during the 2025 legislative session into law. This week, the governor has held events signing multiple measures into law — including the reduction in Iowa's unemployment insurance tax system. On Friday, she signed into law House File 969, a bill expanding the disability and death benefits for first responders like firefighters, emergency medical services responders and law enforcement officer to cover all forms of cancer. This was not the only measure Reynolds signed into law Friday. She released a list of 24 new laws, which include some state spending provisions and other high-profile policies sent to her desk earlier this year. Here are some of the bills signed into law: As discussions — and conflicts — continue over the federal work requirement proposal for Medicaid coverage included in the GOP budget reconciliation bill, Reynolds signed Senate File 615, into law, a measure setting similar work requirements for the Iowa Medicaid program. The requirements for at least 80 hours of work each month would apply to people receiving health coverage through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. IHAWP is the state's expanded Medicaid program for low-income people between ages 19 to 64. There are exemptions to these work and reporting requirements for people with disabilities, serious illnesses or injuries, as well as those with children under age 6. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law directs the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to seek a waiver to implement these requirements from the federal government. Iowa HHS has already submitted a waiver with a slightly different work requirement plan for IHAWP — one that sets a 100-hour per month work requirement, or for a person to be earn the equivalent in wages to working 100 hours a month at $7.25 per hour, or be enrolled in education or job skills programs to retain coverage. Reynolds said in a statement on the bill signing, 'it is priority of mine to ensure our government programs reflect a culture of work.' 'If you are an able-bodied adult who can work, you should work,' the governor said. 'We need to return Medicaid back to its intended purpose—to provide coverage to the people who truly need it.' Democrats and others critics have said the legislation will cut off health care coverage for eligible Iowans due to additional red tape, leading to a financial hit for rural hospitals and other health care centers. The measure also contains a component that could have lasting impacts for Iowa's expanded Medicaid program: If the federal government allows Iowa to implement work requirements, then later revokes approval, HHS would be directed to end IHAWP. The move to discontinue the program would require federal approval, and if the decision is not approved, Iowa HHS would be asked to pursue implementing an 'alternative plan' under federal Medicaid administration guidelines. After several years of stalled action, Reynolds approved the Legislature's agreement on how to spend money from opioid lawsuit settlements. House File 1038 distributes $29 million from the fund, money obtained in settlements for lawsuits by states against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies for their roles in the opioid epidemic. For several years, lawmakers in the Senate and House have failed to reach an agreement on how to spend the funds, which are obligated to go to opioid addiction treatment and prevention. But in the final hours of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers agreed to a system that provides funding for specific organizations and programs that focus on addition treatment, recovery and prevention in fiscal year 2026. In future years, money in the settlement fund will go to Iowa HHS and the Attorney General's office — entities that will then decide how to allocate the money to organizations in the state. HHS will receive 75% of the funding each year and the AG's office will receive 25%. While some lawmakers said they were frustrated with the money going to these state entities instead of being distributed directly by the Legislature, the bill passed with broad bipartisan support as get the funding into Iowa communities. The governor thanked the Legislature for sending the bill to her desk in 2025. 'The opioid crisis continues to impact Iowa families,' Reynolds said in a statement. 'I'm thankful the legislature reached an opioid settlement fund agreement this session to immediately distribute $29 million to providers and appropriate ongoing available funds to support early intervention, prevention, treatment, and recovery.' The governor also signed House File 706, the bill setting higher penalties for violations of open meetings laws and requiring public officials t9 receive training on open meetings and records laws. The bill was brought forward this year after a similar measure was vetoed in 2024 after a last-minute amendment was added that public records advocates had said would lead to unintended consequences. But Rep. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, said adding heightened penalties and more training was still an important measure to pass as a means of addressing violations of these laws in Davenport related to the collapse of a six-story apartment building and alleged violations of open meeting laws in 2023. The bill was also amended in 2025 by the Iowa Senate to include language add two types of records to the state's list of confidential records — security camera footage from the Iowa Capitol and information from state employee identification card access systems. Senate File 175, also signed into law Friday, is a measure modeled after 'Meet Baby Olivia' laws passed in other states. Though Iowa's law does not reference the 'Meet Baby Olivia' video developed by the anti-abortion group Live Action by name, it requires students in 5th through 12th grade human growth and development classes be shown ultrasound video and computer-generated rendering or animations depicting 'the humanity of the unborn child by showing prenatal human development, starting at fertilization.' The bill was amended by the House to include a provision banning materials in school classrooms on fetal development that come from an entity that performs or 'promotes' abortion, or that contracts, affiliates, or makes referrals to organizations that perform or promote abortions. Democratic lawmakers said this ban would mean material coming from reputable organizations and health care providers, like the Mayo Clinic or the University of Iowa Health System, could be excluded, as the ban would not exclude organizations that perform abortions in cases necessary to save the life of the mother. 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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate panel kickstarts debate on spending opioid settlement money
Iowa lawmakers are trying again pass legislation designating how to spend money from the state's Opioid Settlement Fund. (Photo by Darwin Brandis/iStock Getty Images Plus) A Senate subcommittee moved forward a bill Monday allocating $42 million from the Opioid Settlement Fund to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to combat the impacts of the opioid crisis. Senate Study Bill 1226 would provide a $12 million grant for Community and Family Resources, an addiction recovery and treatment center in Fort Dodge and $30 million to Iowa HHS for efforts to 'abate the opioid crisis in the state,' taking into account recommendations from the seven district behavioral health advisory councils throughout the state. Moving forward, the bill states 75% of unobligated money from the settlement fund will go to HHS and 25% will go to the Attorney General's office, to be disbursed 'in accordance with the requirements of the master settlement agreements.' Each year, the two entities will have to submit their recommendations on appropriating the funds for the next fiscal year to lawmakers as a bill, again with consideration for regional behavioral health advisory council recommendations. Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, said this bill will not necessarily be the final version of the legislation, but that he wanted to get the conversation started early to ensure that opioid settlement funding is distributed. 'We've been in negotiations a little bit with the House,' Kraayenbrink said. 'And I just think, rather than holding on and waiting for additional negotiations, we need to get a bill (moved) … and hopefully come to a resolution on what's going to happen.' There is currently more than $56 million in Iowa's Opioid Settlement Fund, received as settlement in lawsuits brought by states against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies for their roles in the opioid epidemic. Iowa will receive more than $325 million from these settlements between fiscal years 2021 through 2039, according to the AG's office. The funds are split, with half going to local governments and half to the state — with both levels of government obligated to use at least 85% of the funds received for opioid addiction treatment and prevention services. Lawmakers set up the Opioid Settlement Fund in 2022 to collect and distribute this money given to the state. However, the Legislature has not dispersed any of the fund's money in the past two sessions — disagreements between the House and Senate on how to allocate these funds were not resolved before the session ended in 2024. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The House had moved in 2024 to designate money to go to specific nonprofits — $3 million to Youth and Shelter Services and $8 million to Community and Family Resources. In the Senate proposal this year, $12 million was allocated for Community and Family Resources. Executive Director Michelle De La Riva told lawmakers at the subcommittee meeting the funding would go toward a new campus providing resources like a detox program and adolescent residential program. When asked if other programs could be given direct funding in the 2025 bill, Kraayenbrink said more allocations could be made as negotiations occur between the two chambers. 'I don't know if I really see it being exactly like this when it's done, but this is just to get the momentum going,' he said. Amy Campbell with the Iowa Behavioral Health Association praised the measure for including input from the district behavioral health advisory councils in the distribution of the funds. She said these councils will be able to see funding needs in their communities as disbursement begins from local governments and through the state. 'We think one of the good parts of this bill is actually getting that local input from the regional advisory board, since they will be on the ground and they're going to start seeing the gaps as the new system kind of comes online,' Campbell said. 'And I think they're in a good spot to be able to provide advice on that.' The House had offered an amendment creating a grant program for settlement funds through HHS in addition to establishing an advisory council to oversee and make recommendations about funding these grants each year. The advisory council was not approved by the Senate, leaving the settlement funds undistributed last year. Kraayenbrink said he was not sure if House members would pursue this oversight component again, but said he wanted to ensure that negotiations begin on the Opioid Settlement Fund. 'I just felt, from a prudent standpoint of the Senate, is that I just can't sit and watch nothing happen again,' Kraayenbrink said. 'It's time that we at least move, and kind of force the conversation to be had.' Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said she supported starting the conversation on the settlement fund. 'I'm glad to see that we have this bill before us, because Iowans have been waiting too long with this money stuck in the freezer,' Petersen said. '… These dollars need to be getting out the door to help Iowans. We lost over 1,000 Iowans in the past five years, and we know people are struggling.' The bill moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Anderson County awards $425K to fight opioid use
CLINTON, Tenn. (WATE) — Anderson County gave more than $425,000 in opioid settlement grant funding to various organizations to fight opioid use. The County announced the awards during a special presentation on Tuesday. They are to be used 'to support awareness, treatment and counseling, housing, transportation, drug disposal, and peer support programs in Anderson County.' Rep. Pearson confronts Rep. Farmer over gun legislation These funds come from the State of Tennessee's Opioid Settlement Fund. They will be given to the following groups: Free Medical Clinic: $81,648 Anderson County Recovery Court: $65,000 Foundation House: $60,000 New Purpose: $45,000 Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP): $38,796 PPS & Focus Group Ministries: $35,000 Boys & Girls Club: $30,000 Main Street Baptist Church (Rocky Top): $20,000 First Methodist Church (First Recovery): $18,500 Celebrate Recovery at Heritage: $13,500 Isaiah 117 House: $10,000 Anderson County Government (Project Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet): $10,000 'Using the Opioid Settlement and Remediation funds, we have the opportunity to support education and recovery programs serving our county, leading to improved outcomes for those suffering with addiction,' County Commissioner Shelly Vandagriff said. Knoxville Chamber releases five-year vision She continued, 'The organizations that received these funds are filling in the gaps in recovery support and prevention efforts in our county. We were able to grant funds for transportation, housing, education, and access to mental health care. I am excited to see the impact these grants will have on the future of Anderson County.' Each of the organizations will have to enter a contract, effective July 1, 2025, with the Anderson County government before spending the money. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Truth Pharm honored with state advocacy award
BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A local leader was dubbed the 'advocate of the year' for her commitment to reducing discrimination against those who use drugs. Alexis Pleus is the executive director of Truth Pharm, a non-profit in Binghamton dedicated to reducing the stigma around drug use. Last week, Pleus was honored with the New York Society of Addiction Medicine's, Public Policy and Advocacy Award. She attributes the recognition to her continued fight to receive funding from the state's Opioid Settlement Fund, and pushed for changes to the advisory board. She says tomorrow, Truth Pharm is taking a trip to Albany to rally with other advocacy groups, to make sure the settlement funds are going where they're needed most. I ask myself all the time if I'm doing enough, and so, receiving a recognition like this really meant a lot to me, in terms of, other people apparently are noticing the work that I'm doing, and it does really invigorate me to want to accomplish more,' says Pleus. She says she doesn't know who nominated her and how her name even got in the mix. Pleus encourages local medical providers to reach out and setup a free Narcan training. Visit to find out more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
