Healthcare

in committee · Iowa · Senate Jun 16, 2025

SF 476: A bill for an act relating to the personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program.

SF 476 increases Iowa's personal needs allowance under the medical assistance program from $50 to $65 per month for residents of nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for intellectual/mental disabilities, or psychiatric medical institutions for children. It requires the state to provide supplements to residents with income below $65 to reach the full allowance amount, and mandates annual inflation adjustments starting July 2026 based on the Midwest CPI index (capped at $100 monthly). The Department of Health and Human Services must biennially report on recipients and disbursements to the legislature, beginning January 2027. This directly affects low-income residents in long-term care facilities by increasing their monthly personal spending allowance.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareIncreases medical assistance personal needs allowance from $50 to $65/month for nursing/mental health facilities, with inflation adjustments, directly strengthening patient support under healthcare programs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Long-Term Care

Track

in committee · Iowa · Senate Jan 14, 2026

SF 399: A bill for an act relating to the licensure of medical cannabidiol dispensaries.

SF 399 increases Iowa's maximum number of licensed medical cannabidiol dispensaries from five to ten. It removes a requirement that dispensaries must begin operations by December 1, 2018, and specifies that the Iowa Department of Health will accept applications for new or renewed licenses by April 1 each year, with final licensing decisions by December 1. This bill directly affects medical cannabis dispensaries seeking to operate in Iowa and the state department responsible for issuing licenses. The changes simplify the licensing process by expanding capacity and eliminating a specific start-date deadline.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands medical cannabis access by increasing dispensary licenses, improving patient access to healthcare services per bill's intent.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Medical Licensing

Track

passed · Iowa · House Feb 24, 2026

HF 970: A bill for an act relating to the double up food bucks program, the supplemental nutrition assistance program and making appropriations and including effective date provisions.

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.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $1M for SNAP food assistance program, directly funding an essential public service per appropriations language.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllocates $1M for Double Up Food Bucks program, promoting healthy food access for SNAP recipients under public health nutrition initiatives.95% confidence

Track

signed · Iowa · Senate Jun 6, 2025

SF 288: A bill for an act relating to students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth who attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges.

SF 288 requires public colleges and universities governed by the Board of Regents and community colleges to provide academic accommodations for students who are pregnant or who recently gave birth. The law specifically allows these students to withdraw from courses without academic penalty if pregnancy or childbirth prevents them from continuing their studies. Institutions must also provide clear information about available support services, including health care and childcare resources. This policy directly affects pregnant and postpartum students enrolled at these specific public higher education institutions.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill mandates academic accommodations and support services for pregnant/students, directly enhancing educational access and equity in higher education institutions.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates institutions to provide health care resource information, improving student access to health services for pregnancy-related needs.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood Higher Education Women's Health

passed · Iowa · Senate May 15, 2025

SF 315: A bill for an act relating to pharmacy benefits manager reverse auctions and group insurance for public employees and including effective date provisions.

SF 315, known as the "Iowa Competitive Pharmacy Benefits Managers Marketplace Act," aims to reduce prescription drug costs for public employees in self-funded state health plans. The bill mandates that the state department procure pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) services through a "reverse auction" process. This online, competitive bidding system allows PBMs to offer progressively lower prices for their services. Additionally, the department must acquire a technology platform to conduct these auctions and perform detailed, line-by-line audits of PBM claims to ensure contract compliance. The first PBM contract awarded through this new system is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates reverse auctions for PBMs to reduce prescription drug costs in public employee health plans, directly lowering healthcare expenses for covered populations.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill reduces prescription drug costs for public employees' health benefits, enhancing employment-related benefits under group insurance standards.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Prescription Drugs

Track

signed · Iowa · House May 27, 2025

HF 300: A bill for an act enacting the physician assistant licensure compact.

HF 300 creates a multi-state agreement (compact) allowing physician assistants licensed in one participating state to practice in other compact states without needing separate licenses. It directly affects physician assistants seeking to work across state lines and healthcare facilities in participating states. The key provision establishes a standardized licensing process where a license issued by one compact state is recognized by all others in the agreement. This reduces administrative barriers for physician assistants and expands their ability to provide care in multiple states without reapplying for licenses. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on May 27, 2025.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRemoves licensing barriers for physician assistants across states, improving healthcare access and provider mobility without additional requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Medical Licensing

signed · Iowa · House Jun 11, 2025

HF 516: A bill for an act relating to medical residency and fellowship positions, including priority for admission to the university of Iowa’s colleges of medicine and dentistry, and hospitals and clinics.

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.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPrioritizes University of Iowa medical students for residency positions, strengthening its medical education pipeline and directly supporting higher education at a specific institution.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill prioritizes University of Iowa medical residency programs to strengthen healthcare workforce pipeline, directly advancing medical education and future provider capacity per its summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

signed · Iowa · House May 28, 2025

HF 310: A bill for an act relating to assaults on persons engaged in certain occupations including a health care provider, and making penalties applicable.

HF 310 strengthens penalties for assaults targeting specific professionals, including healthcare providers. The bill makes existing assault penalties applicable when attacks occur against individuals working in certain occupations, such as healthcare. It directly affects individuals in these professions by ensuring assaults against them face the same legal consequences as other violent crimes. The key provision clarifies that penalties for assaulting these workers will be enforced without additional modifications to existing law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProtects healthcare providers from assault by strengthening penalties, ensuring safer working conditions for medical professionals in the healthcare system.95% confidence

passed · Iowa · House Mar 26, 2026

HF 385: A bill for an act relating to discharge of involuntarily committed persons from a facility or a hospital.

HF 385 requires hospitals and facilities treating involuntarily committed mental health patients in Iowa to implement specific discharge protocols. Before releasing a patient, facilities must refer them to an administrative services organization, assess suicide risk, provide a 15-day supply of prescribed medications (with reimbursement options if not covered), and create a detailed discharge report including care plans, medication lists, and appointment details. This bill directly affects hospitals, patients under involuntary commitment, and administrative services organizations responsible for coordinating post-discharge care. The law also mandates quarterly reports from these organizations to the state department and requires facilities to notify courts of discharges for confirmation.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates mental health discharge protocols including suicide risk assessment, medication continuity, and care planning, directly strengthening patient safety and access to follow-up care in mental health services.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Mental Health

Track

signed · Iowa · House Jun 27, 2025

HF 1038: A bill for an act relating to the opioid settlement fund, making appropriations and disbursements, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

HF 1038 allocates funds from Iowa's opioid settlement to state agencies addressing the opioid crisis, directly affecting programs that provide treatment, prevention, and recovery services. The bill specifies how the money is distributed (disbursed) to eligible state entities and includes rules for when the funding takes effect, including retroactive application for prior periods. It does not change eligibility for the settlement funds but establishes the legal framework for their use. The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law by the Governor on June 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAllocates opioid settlement funds to state agencies for treatment, prevention, and recovery services under health and human services, directly funding healthcare programs addressing the opioid crisis.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Substance Abuse