Health care

A tax hike on HMO health insurance plans that would raise money to help the state pay for Medicaid has advanced through committees in the Iowa House and Senate. Insurance and business group lobbyists criticized the proposal, saying it would raise health care costs for Iowans.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Michael Welsh has seen cystic fibrosis transform from terminal to highly treatable. On this episode of Talk of Iowa, we listen back to Charity Nebbe's conversation with Dr. Welsh of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, who has been studying and treating Cystic Fibrosis for nearly 50 years. Dr. Welsh was awarded the 2025 Canada Gairdner International Award for his work on cystic fibrosis. Then, we hear about the Homestead Folk Art Museum in the Amana Colonies. (This show was originally produced on June 5, 2025.)

On this Talk of Iowa, host Charity Nebbe speaks with experts in caregiving and those caught in this "sandwich generation," balancing care for aging parents and children. (This show originally aired May 22, 2025.)

University of Iowa surgeon Dr. Ramy El-Diwany performed the first robotic living donor nephrectomy, which will lead to more precise surgeries and quicker recovery for kidney donors. UIHC hopes this will mean more living kidney donations. On this News Buzz edition, Ben Kieffer speaks with Dr. El-Diwany, but first, we get a legislative update from Statehouse reporter Katarina Sostaric, Clark Kauffman shares a recent First Amendment case in Newton, and we meet one of the Coralville residents who organized against the city's recently rescinded AI-camera contract.

Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, mood swings, brain fog — those are just a few of the things a woman might experience in and around menopause. These symptoms can be uncomfortable, confusing and disruptive. While menopause affects half of the population that reaches middle age, there are still a lot of myths and misconceptions about the condition. Host Charity Nebbe speaks with Dr. Linda Bradley of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio about the specific challenges facing women of color as they navigate perimenopause and menopause. Then, Dr. Holly Marie Bolger of the University of Iowa will address some menopause myths and bring us up to date on treatment options.

Iowa has been awarded a $209 million federal grant to expand and improve health care across the state — the first installment of what officials say could total $1 billion over the next five years. The funding is part of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program and is aimed at strengthening access to care, equipment and workforce development in rural communities. Leaders from Iowa’s critical access hospitals talk about what this funding could mean on the ground and why they say it falls far short of what rural providers are bracing for. We also discuss workforce shortages, the challenge of recruiting specialists like OB-GYNs, and the “hub and spoke” model Gov. Kim Reynolds has promoted to reshape rural health care delivery. Later, host Charity Nebbe announces Talk of Iowa’s 2026 Book Club selections with IPR talk show producer, Caitlin Troutman.

Some Iowa physicians are concerned that the federal government is reducing the number of broadly recommended vaccines for children, from 17 vaccines to 11.

Policy experts say House Republicans’ health care plan — introduced by Iowa's 1st District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks — makes "systemic changes," but it’s not clear how long it could take to bring costs down. The bill passed by the House on Wednesday includes provisions for cost-sharing payments, Association Health Plans and transparency in drug pricing.

Two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed in Syria, the first American casualties there since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Political scientists Karen Kedrowski and Wayne Moyer break down what it means. Plus, Iowa politics including U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ role in the House GOP health care debate and a new Republican challenger in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. We also touch on campaign shakeups in the 4th District and other key political developments.

UnityPoint nurses in Des Moines voted this week on whether to unionize. But the final result is delayed due to contested ballots.