Natalie Krebs
Health ReporterExpertise: Telling stories about health, Medicaid and maternal health
Education: Masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Bachelors degree from the University of Oregon
Favorite Iowa Destination: Yellow River State Forest
Experience:
- Has written features on abortion access and women's health care in Iowa, the opioid epidemic, state health agencies, rural health care access and medical care for elders
- Served as a fellow with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism in 2021, producing an in-depth three part series on COVID-19's impact on Iowa's meatpacking industry and its workers
- Regularly contributes to Side Effects Public Media, a regional health news collaboration exploring the impacts of place, policy and economics on Americans' health
- Has produced features for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Here & Now and Native News
- Has attended the Association of Health Care Journalists annual conference
- Is an award-winning reporter, including a Best Health/Medical Reporting award from the Public Media Journalists Association in 2024 for "Fixing Understaffed Nursing Homes"
My Favorite Stories
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An Iowa law that bans abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy is poised to go into effect next week. The law could have rippling effects on abortion care across the Midwest. -
Seniors who are hospitalized with even a minor illness or injury are at risk of "hospital-acquired disability," which puts them at risk of rehospitalizations and a downward spiral that could eventually land them in a nursing home. -
Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights. -
New proposed rules for nursing home staffing levels by the Biden administration elicited mixed reactions. Nursing home workers say they’re much needed and long overdue. But some Republican governors echo the long-term care industry’s concerns. They say the measures will push some facilities to shut down. -
Recent studies have found elevated levels of nitrate in drinking water correlates with health issues like cancer and thyroid disease — even below what current federal standards deem as safe. But health research necessary to take federal action is slow-going, and some environmental health experts are concerned officials aren’t acting fast enough.
My Latest Stories
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The ACLU of Iowa has filed a federal lawsuit against the Iowa Department of Administrative Services claiming the state has repeatedly violated the Satanic Temple's constitutional rights by denying them permission to host holiday activities in the Iowa Capitol rotunda. -
The Libertarian Party of Iowa has nominated new candidates for lieutenant governor and the 3rd District House race in November following the removal of two candidates by the State Objection Panel in June. -
It's been a decade since Iowa privatized its Medicaid system under Gov. Terry Branstad, but the move has been controversial and the system's future has become an issue in this year's competitive gubernatorial election. -
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand participated in a roundtable Tuesday, where he answered questions about Iowans' concerns about cancer. -
A new law that requires Iowans go to an in-person medical appointment in order to obtain abortion medication has gone into effect. -
The State Objection Panel has voted to remove three Libertarian candidates after it sided with Republican voters who filed objections against the candidates. -
UnityPoint nurses marched through Des Moines months after a still undetermined election in December on whether to form a union. Nurses said the hospital is filing objections to delay confirming the vote. -
The Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking, or INSIGHT, will examine how factors like PFAS and nitrate affect Iowans' health -
Polls have closed across Iowa. See who voters picked to represent their party in November’s general election. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed what she called the "Iowa MAHA bill" into law Wednesday with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by her side.
