The rising cost of health care is a heavy burden too many Iowa families face today. Coupled with changes made by GOP lawmakers in recent years that have also reduced access, health care has become a crisis in Iowa.

The first step in making health care affordable and accessible for Iowans is fixing Iowa’s broken Medicaid system.  We should work together to protect our most vulnerable citizens who need long-term services and support (LTSS) because of chronic illness, aging or a disability. These Iowans need help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating. 

As Republicans and the Governor continue to ignore problems with privatization, Iowans with disabilities have been denied critical services and equipment, kicked out of their current living arrangements because of reimbursement issues, or had to switch case managers who understand their complex needs best. 

The bills we are working on this year (House File 135/Senate File 156) will move these vulnerable Iowans out of managed care, to not only improve their access to health care, but also make it more affordable. Other action we take to improve Medicaid includes making sure providers are paid for the work they do and having Iowans make critical health care decisions, not out of state companies.

Here are some other ideas we’ll be working on this session to make health care more affordable and accessible:

•    Protecting Iowans with pre-existing conditions

•    Making family planning services available to Iowans statewide

•    Expanding mental health care

•    Protecting seniors from financial exploitation, neglect and abuse

Bill Watch 

Below is a list of bills we’re tracking this session that may be of interest to you.  As session continues, we’ll be updating this list for you to keep you up to speed on the legislative process and take action.