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Iowa Insurance Commissioner: Don't Repeal ACA Without a Plan to Replace It

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Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart

The average Iowan pays around $180 per month for health insurance after their employer contribution.

Iowa’s Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart is stepping down on the 23rd of this month. He’s served as state insurance commissioner since February 2013, overseeing the state’s Medicaid transition, as well as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. During this River to River interview, he talks with host Ben Kieffer. 

Gerhart says that policy makers need to step back and take a look at the entire healthcare ecosystem, not just the insurance piece. 

"As you probably well know, we approved 43% rate increases this year. Nobody wants to do that. ... But we need to look to: "How do you have a sustainable risk pool, what is driving these costs?" says Gerhart. "Insurance is simply a financing mechanism, so any fix, I hope, will look at the entire ecosystem." 

Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River