Healthcare

died · Iowa · House Mar 21, 2025

HF 124: A bill for an act relating to discharge of involuntarily committed persons from a facility or a hospital.

HF 124 requires mental health facilities and hospitals to follow specific steps before discharging people involuntarily committed for mental health treatment. Facilities must refer patients to administrative services organizations, assess suicide risk, provide a 30-day supply of prescribed medications, and create detailed discharge reports including appointment schedules, medication lists, crisis prevention plans, and educational materials about mental health symptoms. The bill also mandates post-discharge coordination by these organizations through follow-ups and home visits, and requires facilities to report discharges to the court for confirmation. This directly affects individuals receiving involuntary mental health treatment in Iowa facilities, aiming to improve continuity of care and safety after discharge.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires suicide risk assessments, 30-day meds, and detailed discharge plans to improve mental health patient continuity of care and safety post-discharge.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 24, 2025

SF 599: A bill for an act relating to work requirements for the Iowa health and wellness plan, public assistance programs, an information technology fund, the public assistance modernization fund, and the Medicaid for employed people with disabilities program.

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.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareImposes work requirements on Medicaid eligibility, restricting access for non-working beneficiaries despite limited exemptions.85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyCreates an Information Technology Fund explicitly, funding technology initiatives per bill title and subjects, aligning with 'fund' indicator for support.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid

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in committee · Iowa · House Mar 25, 2025

HF 873: A bill for an act relating to aid, processes, services, and reimbursement for services associated with children in, adopted from, or in need of foster care.

HF 873 modifies Iowa's foster care and adoption support systems. It expands the criteria for declaring a child in need of assistance (CINA) to include serious chemical dependency treatment needs, alongside existing mental health requirements. The bill replaces the fixed 65% reimbursement rate for foster parents (based on USDA child-raising costs) with a requirement for the state to establish and periodically review foster care payment rules. It also caps state reimbursement for adoption investigations at $2,000 per pre- and post-placement check and adjusts who covers attorney fees in parental rights termination cases. These changes directly affect foster parents, adoptive families, and children in foster care or adoption proceedings.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands CINA criteria to include chemical dependency treatment, advancing healthcare access for foster children within mental health services.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health

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died · Iowa · Senate Mar 26, 2025

SF 312: A bill for an act enacting the physician assistant licensure compact.

SF 312 would create a physician assistant licensure compact, allowing licensed physician assistants from participating states to practice in Iowa without obtaining a separate license. It requires physician assistants to follow the licensing rules of the state where the patient is located during care, not where they are licensed. The compact also enables military personnel and their spouses to use an existing license from another participating state to practice in Iowa. This bill was introduced in Iowa but was withdrawn on March 26, 2025, after being attached to another bill.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRemoves licensing barriers for physician assistants, enabling cross-state practice and improving healthcare access in Iowa per bill's compact provisions.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly allows military personnel and spouses to practice without separate licensure, facilitating healthcare access for veterans through military-connected providers.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Medical Licensing

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Mar 10, 2025

SF 556: A bill for an act relating to eligibility requirements for pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

This bill (SF 556) seeks to expand continuous eligibility under Iowa's WIC program for pregnant women, postpartum women, and infants whose family income is at or below 375% of the federal poverty level. It requires Iowa's health department to request a federal waiver by August 2025 to provide continuous coverage during pregnancy (instead of periodic renewals), and 12 months of continuous postpartum and infant eligibility. If federal approval is denied, Iowa must report the costs by December 2025 and could fund the expanded eligibility starting July 2026 using state funds, if the legislature appropriates money. The policy directly affects low-income families seeking nutrition support during pregnancy and early childhood.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands continuous WIC eligibility for pregnant/postpartum women and infants, improving access to nutrition-based healthcare services without periodic renewals.95% confidence

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in committee · Iowa · Senate Feb 27, 2025

SF 456: A bill for an act relating to the choice of doctor to treat injured employees under workers’ compensation laws and including effective date and applicability provisions.

This bill (SF 456) gives Iowa workers injured on the job more control over choosing their treating physician under workers' compensation. It allows employees to predesignate a primary care doctor (who has treated them before and is within 60 miles of work) to handle their injury, and requires employers to inform workers of this right. If employers fail to provide this notice, workers can choose any doctor at the employer’s expense. Disputes over doctor choices must be resolved by the workers’ compensation commissioner within 10-14 days, with options for phone or in-person hearings.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands patient choice in workers' comp healthcare by allowing injured workers to select their treating physician, improving access and protecting rights within medical care provisions.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentGives injured workers control over physician choice under workers' comp, requiring employer notice and allowing choice if not provided, protecting worker rights.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Primary Care Workers' Compensation

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died · Iowa · House Mar 31, 2025

HF 277: A bill for an act removing birth centers from the meaning of institutional health facility.

HF 277 removes birth centers from the definition of "institutional health facility" in Iowa law. This change eliminates the requirement for birth centers to obtain a Certificate of Need (CON) from the state before expanding services, relocating, or adding new offerings. The bill updates definitions in sections 10A.711, 135.131, and 135P.1 of the Iowa Code to clarify that birth centers are separate from hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. As a result, birth center providers would no longer face the CON approval process for operational changes. The bill directly affects birth center operators and their ability to expand services without state review.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRemoves Certificate of Need requirement for birth centers, reducing regulatory barriers and improving access to birth services by allowing easier expansion and relocation.85% confidence

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passed · Iowa · House Apr 1, 2025

HF 522: A bill for an act relating to the therapeutic classroom incentive program by authorizing the expenditure of moneys for certain nutritional items.

HF 522 amends Iowa's therapeutic classroom incentive program to allow school districts using grant funds to cover specific nutritional items for students. It directly affects students in therapeutic classrooms - those whose emotional, social, or behavioral needs interfere with learning - and the school districts administering these programs. Key provisions authorize funding for micronutrient access (like vitamins D and K2), assessments of macro-nutritional needs, provision of whole foods (fresh produce, healthy proteins), restrictions on artificial food additives, and initiatives addressing digital screen use and natural light exposure. The bill expands allowable uses of existing grant funds to support nutrition-based strategies within therapeutic classrooms.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill authorizes funding for nutritional items in therapeutic classrooms, directly supporting student needs affecting learning through expanded program funding and access to micronutrients/whole foods.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds nutritional items for therapeutic classrooms addressing emotional/behavioral health needs, directly supporting mental health services through school-based nutritional support.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Health

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in committee · Iowa · House Apr 3, 2025

HF 699: A bill for an act relating to drug paraphernalia and drug-checking equipment.

HF 699 clarifies that certain drug-checking tools and materials are not considered "drug paraphernalia" under Iowa law. It specifically exempts fentanyl/xylazine test strips, drug-checking equipment, and related materials used by harm reduction organizations for testing substances. The bill protects individuals and organizations from criminal charges, civil penalties, or loss of housing for using these tools or conducting drug checks. It also allows state funds, including opioid settlement money, to support these harm reduction activities.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExempts drug-checking tools from criminal penalties, advancing harm reduction as criminal justice reform by reducing criminalization of low-level drug use.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts fentanyl test strips and drug-checking tools for harm reduction, directly supporting public health initiatives to prevent overdoses and improve healthcare access in substance use treatment.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Drug Policy Substance Abuse

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died · Iowa · House May 2, 2026

HF 705: A bill for an act establishing a grant program for a nonprofit organization providing sexual assault forensic examination centers.

HF 705 establishes a grant program within Iowa's Department of Justice to fund a nonprofit organization operating sexual assault forensic examination centers. To qualify, the nonprofit must be Iowa-incorporated, employ sexual assault nurse examiners, maintain dedicated treatment facilities for survivors, and prioritize sexual assault care as its main purpose. The funded organization must provide medical forensic services to all survivors - including adults, children, rural Iowans, and underserved groups - and offer trainings for medical professionals, law enforcement, and the public on sexual assault services and prevention. It must also submit annual reports to the attorney general detailing services and trainings delivered.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeFunds specialized sexual assault forensic centers, enhancing victim care and evidence collection in criminal justice system.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill funds nonprofit sexual assault forensic examination centers via state grants, expanding access to medical forensic healthcare services for survivors including underserved groups.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Violent Crime Healthcare Workforce

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