HF 408 appropriates state funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to eliminate all waiting lists for Iowa's Medicaid home and community-based services waivers as of June 30, 2025. The bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to use funds calculated by a Medicaid forecasting group (including staff from health, management, and legislative services agencies) to remove individuals from waiting lists. This funding specifically targets waiver programs that allow Medicaid recipients to receive care at home or in community settings instead of institutions. The amount spent and number of people served will be reported in the first fiscal year 2025-2026 forecasting report.
HF 375 proposes setting Iowa's minimum hourly wage for direct care professionals at $20.00 starting July 1, 2025, with a $19.10 minimum for those with less than 90 days of employment. It directly affects employers in nursing facilities, home care, and child care centers who hire workers providing personal care, health services, or support for people with illnesses or disabilities. The bill defines "direct care professionals" to include home health aides, certified nurse aides, and similar roles. This state wage requirement will apply instead of the federal minimum wage if it is lower. The bill is currently in the Labor and Workforce committee after introduction on February 13, 2025.
HF 405 requires most health insurance plans in Iowa to cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription insulin at $25 per prescription for up to a 31-day supply. It directly affects people with diabetes who use insulin and are covered under health insurance plans that provide prescription drug coverage. The bill sets this $25 limit for four types of insulin (rapid-acting, short-acting, intermediate-acting, and long-acting) and applies to plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. It excludes certain insurance types like Medicare supplements, workers’ compensation, and dental/vision plans. The Iowa Insurance Commissioner will implement rules to enforce this requirement.
This bill, titled "The Patient's Right to Save Act," requires health care providers to disclose discounted cash prices for specific services. It mandates that providers post these prices online, update them within 10 days of changes, and inform patients (both insured and uninsured) about the option to pay the discounted rate before services. If the discounted price is below the average amount insurers pay network providers, providers must also notify patients they may qualify for a deductible credit. The law directly affects health care providers and patients seeking cost transparency, aiming to simplify price comparison without altering insurance coverage rules.
This bill (SF 117) protects pharmacists and licensed healthcare practitioners (like doctors, nurses, and dentists) from employer or licensing board restrictions that interfere with their professional judgment when prescribing, dispensing, or administering medications. It prohibits boards or employers from creating rules that deter professionals from using treatments they deem appropriate based on their expertise and scope of practice. Any such restriction - whether in contracts, handbooks, or policies - is declared unenforceable and cannot lead to disciplinary action. The bill ensures professionals using medication decisions within their scope and best judgment cannot face license discipline for those choices.
HF 425 simplifies Medicaid reimbursement for repairs of complex rehabilitation equipment. It requires Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services to stop demanding new prescriptions or prior authorization for repairs, as long as the equipment was previously prescribed and paid for under Medicaid. This directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries who rely on individually configured durable medical equipment (like specialized wheelchairs) and the providers who repair it. The bill defines "complex rehabilitation technology" as equipment tailored to meet specific medical needs for daily activities, ensuring repairs for such items follow the same streamlined process as the original equipment.
HF 256 modifies Iowa's medical malpractice statute of repose, extending the six-year deadline for filing claims beyond the standard limit when healthcare providers conceal the cause of injury. It directly affects patients who discover their injury was caused by negligence only after providers intentionally hid the malpractice. The bill adds a second exception to the six-year rule (beyond the existing foreign object exception), allowing lawsuits to proceed if a physician, hospital, or their staff concealed the negligent act or omission. This change applies to licensed healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, dentists, and hospitals covered under chapters 147 or 135B of Iowa law. The bill does not alter the standard two-year statute of limitations for when a claimant knew or should have known of the injury.
HF 427 requires Iowa's Medicaid managed care organizations to cover the cost of integrated power standing device equipment on power wheelchairs for Medicaid recipients with a permanent physical disability, upon request. This equipment allows users to stand without transferring from their wheelchair. The bill mandates coverage when the device is deemed "reasonable and medically necessary" for the recipient's independence, function, health, and well-being. It directly affects Medicaid recipients who use power wheelchairs and have a permanent physical disability, ensuring access to this specific mobility aid.
SF 242 requires Iowa health insurance companies to cover diagnosis and treatment for pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), PANDAS (a strep-related subset of PANS), and postinfectious autoimmune encephalopathy as medically necessary. It mandates coverage for treatments like antibiotics, behavioral therapy, and immunotherapies without denying or delaying care based on prior treatment for these conditions or unrelated health issues. The law applies to most individual, group, and small group health insurance plans issued in Iowa on or after January 1, 2026, but excludes accident-only, dental, vision, and other specified coverage types. Insurance companies may still request treatment notes from healthcare providers to verify medical necessity.
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.
