Gov. Kim Reynolds highlighted her proposals Tuesday to help alleviate the shortage of health care providers in Iowa.
She is asking the Legislature to eliminate loan forgiveness programs for health professionals and consolidate them into one program. She also wants to double the funding for loan repayment.
Reynolds’ health care bill includes a proposal to tap into federal funds to create more than 100 new medical residency positions. She also wants to get federal permission for Medicaid flexibility in order to expand the centers of excellence program aimed at improving health care access in rural Iowa.
“We have a ways to go, but we’re committed to turning it around and making sure that Iowans have access to high quality health care no matter where they live in the state of Iowa, and that is the collective goal.”
Reynolds says she feels confident the state can get federal money to train more doctors, even with the cost cutting being done by the White House Department of Government Efficiency.