Medicaid

The One Big Beautiful Bill includes sweeping changes to Medicaid, and is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to increase the number of people uninsured by 10 million. We hear from Des Moines resident who insured by Medicaid about what these changes could mean for him, including new work requirements. Then, we hear more about how this overhaul will impact Iowans from UI professor and Rural Policy Research Director Keith Mueller. We also talk with a rural hospital administrator about how they expect to lose millions of dollars annually due to these changes, and we hear from a rural Emergency Medical Services responder on how this could widen the financial deficit they already face when providing care to Medicaid patients.

Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque is running for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd District, she announced Tuesday.

Transgender Iowans on Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income individuals, are having to find other ways to pay for some gender-affirming care after state lawmakers passed restrictions in the 2025 legislative session.

Proposed cuts could leave a program meant to investigate instances of abuse against individuals with mental illness from harm at risk.

Hospitals across the Midwest are bracing for cuts to services and staff in the wake of funding changes created in President Donald Trump's budget bill.

Veteran and former nursing educator Kathryn Dolter is running as a Democrat in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. After a career in the medical field, improving health care accessibility is one of her biggest goals in the face of Medicaid cuts that she said could have broad impacts on maternal health care and rural hospitals.

State officials recently announced that they will end the state's Integrated Health Home program, which supports severely mentally ill Iowans, and will transition them to the newly-formed Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

The state's major overhaul of its mental health and disability service systems is going into effect this week. Officials say they hope it makes it easier for Iowans to access services.

A new report by the Commonwealth Fund ranks Iowa's health system 18th in the nation. But experts said gains made in reducing the state's uninsured rate could be affected by federal proposals to cut health safety net programs.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is proposing to cut billions from Medicaid, which could affect coverage for thousands of Iowans. Here's a breakdown of what's happening with the bill and what it means for Iowans.