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.
SF 84 limits noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases against health care providers and hospitals to $250,000 per injury or death, with exceptions for substantial bodily impairment, disfigurement, or death (up to $1 million, or $2 million if a hospital is involved). It removes the "loss of pregnancy" exception and repeals the annual 2.1% cap increase. For punitive damages, the bill requires that only 25% of the award goes to the plaintiff in medical cases, with the remainder funding indigent legal aid and insurance programs via a civil reparations trust. This directly affects patients filing medical malpractice claims and health care providers facing lawsuits. The bill does not change how economic damages (like lost wages) are calculated.
This bill (SF 120) amends Iowa law to require parental consent for minors seeking vaccinations against sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Currently, minors can consent to STI-related medical care (prevention, diagnosis, treatment) without parental involvement; this bill creates an exception specifically for STI vaccinations, mandating parental consent for that service. It directly affects minors under 18 seeking STI vaccines and their parents or legal guardians. The key provision changes Section 139A.35 of the Iowa Code to exclude vaccinations from the existing minor-consent exception for STI care. The bill is currently in committee review.
Senate File 304 amends existing law concerning a minor's ability to consent to medical care related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Currently, minors can independently consent to medical care or services for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of STDs. This bill introduces a specific exception to that provision. Under SF 304, a minor will no longer have the legal capacity to consent to the provision of a vaccination for a sexually transmitted disease or infection without the consent of another person, such as a parent or guardian.
SF 363 requires eligible Iowa health and wellness plan members (a Medicaid program) to participate in 20+ hours weekly of community engagement activities like work, volunteering, or job training, unless they qualify for an exemption. Exemptions include individuals under 19, over 64, pregnant, caring for young children, medically unfit, or receiving unemployment benefits. The bill mandates the state health department to seek a federal waiver to implement this requirement and set an implementation deadline of July 1, 2025. It directly affects Medicaid members who do not meet specific exemption criteria.
This bill establishes work requirements as a condition for maintaining eligibility in Iowa's Health and Wellness Plan (IHAWP) and aligns similar requirements across public assistance programs, pending federal approval. It specifies exemptions for vulnerable groups including individuals under 19, seniors 65+, people with disabilities (per Social Security), caretakers of young children, those in substance use treatment, and medically exempt individuals. The bill also creates an Information Technology Fund by transferring unspent funds from the Public Assistance Modernization Fund to support system upgrades for program administration. Additionally, it amends Medicaid rules to clarify income and resource disregards for employed people with disabilities.
HF 775 requires medical facilities in Iowa performing medication abortions to post visible signs informing patients that "recent developing research" suggests medication abortions may sometimes be reversed if a patient changes their mind. It mandates physicians to obtain written patient certification confirming they’ve been informed about medication abortion risks, the potential for reversal (with time sensitivity), and resources for reversal, both before the procedure and in written discharge instructions. The bill also directs Iowa’s health department to create online materials about reversal options and prohibits dispensing mifepristone outside healthcare settings. This bill directly affects patients seeking medication abortions and healthcare providers in Iowa, focusing on information requirements rather than altering abortion access.
House File 384 amends the current law concerning a minor's ability to consent to medical care for sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Under existing law, minors can consent to prevention, diagnosis, or treatment for STDs/STIs without parental consent. This bill creates an exception, stipulating that minors would no longer have the legal capacity to consent specifically to vaccinations for sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Minors would still be able to consent to other forms of care, such as diagnosis or treatment, without requiring consent from a parent, guardian, or spouse.
HF 423 prohibits the manufacture, distribution, prescription, dispensing, sale, or transfer of specific abortifacient drugs (including mifepristone, mifegyne, and mifeprex) within Iowa. It imposes a class C felony penalty for violations, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines between $1,370 and $13,660. The bill explicitly excludes liability for women receiving abortions using these drugs and does not restrict contraceptive agents administered before pregnancy confirmation. This legislation directly affects healthcare providers, pharmacies, and manufacturers handling these drugs, while allowing standard contraceptive use.
This Iowa bill requires plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases to submit a notarized affidavit from a qualified medical expert within 60 days of the defendant's answer. The affidavit must confirm the expert's familiarity with medical standards, verify that the healthcare provider breached those standards, and link the breach to the injury or death. Failure to provide this affidavit results in automatic dismissal of the case. The bill also prohibits parties from withdrawing or refiling affidavits except to correct missing signatures and restricts challenges to affidavits to within 60 days of filing.
