HF 970 allocates $1 million for Iowa's Double Up Food Bucks program, which helps SNAP recipients buy fresh produce at farmers markets and grocery stores. It requires grant recipients to match funds dollar-for-dollar and ensures the funds remain available beyond the fiscal year. The bill also seeks federal approval to restrict SNAP-eligible foods to healthy items like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. This food eligibility change would take effect only after the USDA approves the modification. The program funding becomes effective upon federal approval of the food rules.
HF 1049 is an appropriations bill that allocates state funds to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services. It directly affects programs including aging and disability services, behavioral health initiatives, the medical assistance program, and state-operated specialty care. The bill specifically includes funding for sex reassignment surgeries or associated procedures within health-related programs. Signed into law on June 11, 2025, it provides financial support for these services and includes reporting requirements for unspent funds.
HF 972, now law after Governor's signature on May 28, 2025, establishes a new funding model for Iowa's rural healthcare systems while eliminating several existing health care programs. It removes specific award, grant, residency, and fellowship programs, and creates a new incentive program to attract healthcare professionals to underserved areas. The bill also modifies Medicaid funding for graduate medical education, updates the Health Facilities Council, and addresses the Iowa Health Information Network, with all changes including necessary funding appropriations. These changes directly affect rural health providers, medical training programs, and state health agencies managing these systems.
HF 516 creates priority access for residency and fellowship positions at the University of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, directly affecting UI’s medical programs and their affiliated hospitals and clinics. The bill requires state-funded training programs to prioritize applicants from these UI institutions when filling medical residency and fellowship roles. Now law after Governor signed it on June 11, 2025, this policy change aims to strengthen UI’s medical education pipeline without altering broader admission standards for other institutions.
HF 948 establishes work requirements for Iowa's Health and Wellness Plan (IHAWP), requiring most participants to work at least 80 hours monthly to maintain benefits, with exemptions for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and others. It creates an Information Technology Fund to modernize state health systems, transferring unspent funds from a previous public assistance modernization fund. The bill also updates eligibility for Iowa's Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities program to disregard certain income and asset limits (up to $10,000 for individuals), and mandates a state review of similar programs in other states by December 2025. These changes directly affect low-income Iowans enrolled in IHAWP or the Medicaid program for employed people with disabilities.
