HSB 153 updates Iowa's regulations for psychiatric medical institutions serving youth under 21 with serious emotional or substance use disorders. It requires facilities to develop individualized medical care plans based on comprehensive physical and behavioral health evaluations, and mandates team-based care involving qualified mental health professionals. The bill clarifies licensing standards for facilities, specifying that they must be licensed under Chapter 135H to provide services for these conditions, and ensures insurance coverage for medically necessary inpatient care under specific criteria. This directly affects youth receiving psychiatric care, the facilities operating these programs, and their staff who must meet defined professional qualifications.
HF 13 requires Iowa's Medicaid program to automatically increase payments to healthcare providers (like clinics and hospitals) each July 1st. It mandates that these increases match either the Midwest region's annual consumer price index (CPI) rise or 2.5%, whichever is smaller, overriding other existing inflation rules. This directly affects all providers enrolled in Iowa's Medicaid program by ensuring their reimbursement rates adjust annually for inflation. The bill was introduced on January 14, 2025, and referred to the Health and Human Services committee.
SF 2 amends Iowa's medical malpractice law by adding a second exception to the six-year deadline for filing claims. Currently, the six-year deadline (statute of repose) doesn't apply if a foreign object was unintentionally left in a patient's body. This bill adds that the deadline also doesn't apply if a healthcare provider or their staff concealed the cause of injury or death. It directly affects patients who discover medical negligence later due to concealment by physicians, dentists, hospitals, or other licensed providers.
HF 61 requires health care providers to publicly list prices for their 25 most common services (with coding and plain-language descriptions) online, updated annually. Hospitals must list prices for 75 most common inpatient and 75 outpatient services (using Medicare grouping) online, updated quarterly. All disclosed prices must include a disclaimer stating they are estimates, not binding charges, and actual costs may vary. The bill directs Iowa's department to align these requirements with existing federal price transparency rules under the Affordable Care Act.
HF 58 requires Iowa health insurance plans to cover treatment for eating disorders, directly affecting patients with conditions like anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder and their insurers. The bill mandates coverage for all services in a patient's treatment plan - including therapy, medications, hospitalization, and out-of-network care when local options are unavailable and medically necessary - without stricter copays or deductibles than for physical illnesses. It applies to most individual and group health plans starting January 1, 2026, excluding accident-only, dental, or Medicare supplement insurance. The Iowa Insurance Commissioner must create rules to enforce these requirements.
This bill requires insurers to negotiate medical malpractice settlement offers within policy limits in good faith. If an insurer refuses a claimant's settlement offer at or below the policy limit and a court later awards more than the limit, the insurer must pay the full judgment amount. Health care providers who face excessive judgments due to an insurer's refusal to negotiate can sue the insurer for damages, including legal fees. The bill directly affects medical providers (by protecting them from uncovered costs) and insurers (by imposing new liability for settlement refusal).
HF 77 sets requirements for who can practice surgical technology in Iowa health care facilities. It prohibits employment or practice unless individuals meet specific qualifications, such as completing an accredited training program, holding national certification, or having prior employment in Iowa before July 1, 2025. Starting July 1, 2026, practitioners must complete 15 hours of annual continuing education, with the licensing department setting related rules. The bill explicitly does not restrict licensed doctors, nurses, dentists, or optometrists from performing surgical tech duties within their existing professional scope.
This bill requires Iowa school districts to employ either a licensed school nurse or a licensed athletic trainer (under Chapter 152D) to provide student health services starting July 1, 2025, replacing the current requirement for only a school nurse. It affects all public school districts in Iowa, mandating they aim for one provider per 750 students. The bill updates existing code sections to include athletic trainers as qualified personnel and specifies where health-related records must be stored (with the school nurse, athletic trainer, or administrator). These changes align with provisions for health services documentation and staffing in school health policies.
HF 111 creates a tax credit for advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) who serve as unpaid clinical preceptors for nursing students. Eligible preceptors receive a $500 credit per qualifying clinical mentoring session (with at least 100 hours of supervised learning), capped at $2,000 annually for individual income tax. To qualify, preceptors must provide uncompensated instruction at their workplace, be selected by nursing programs, and have at least one year of preceptor experience. The credit applies to tax years starting January 1, 2026, and any unused portion isn’t refundable or carryable to other years.
SF 87 requires most health insurance plans in Iowa to cover acupuncture services performed by licensed acupuncturists, starting January 1, 2026. The bill mandates that this coverage must be equally favorable as coverage for general physical illness, meaning out-of-pocket costs (like deductibles or copays) cannot be higher than for standard medical care. It applies to individual, group, and small group health insurance plans but excludes dental, vision, Medicare supplements, workers' compensation, and other specialized coverage. This law directly affects health insurance providers and policyholders by expanding covered services without increasing patient costs relative to conventional medical treatments.
