DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad and legislative negotiators have hammered out a bipartisan agreement to use federal money to expand health-care coverage to needy Iowans by financing insurance premiums for participants who help manage their costs with healthy choices. The newly named Iowa Health and Wellness Plan contains elements that meets the desires of [...]

Key legislators and Gov. Terry Branstad expressed optimism Monday that progress was being made to forge a “hybrid” health care compromise that would merge elements of the governor’s “Healthy Iowa” plan with Senate Democrats’ desire to expand Medicaid to cover low-income, uninsured Iowans. “If we’re going to get something resolved, nobody’s going to get their [...]

DES MOINES – Gov. Terry Branstad reiterated his contention Monday that residents at the Iowa Veterans Home are getting top-quality care and expressed concern that criticism of leadership at the Marshalltown facility is becoming increasingly political. However, a key Democrat who has raised concern about quality of care and safety issues at the veterans’ home [...]

Majority Democrats in the Iowa Senate refused Wednesday to approve a House-passed version of Gov. Terry Branstad’s Healthy Iowa plan – likely sending the issue of expanding health care coverage for lower-income Iowans to a conference committee to resolve differences. Senators voted on a 26-24 party-line verdict to reject Republicans’ alternative to an expansion of [...]

After about 35 years of letting Cedar Rapids patients choose where they want to be seen, the largest cardiology clinic in Eastern Iowa will provide care only at St. Luke’s Hospital. Officials with UnityPoint Clinic-Cardiology, formerly known as Cardiologists L.C., said the change will become effective June 1, allowing the group of cardiologists to focus [...]

DES MOINES – Over Democratic protests that a Capitol committee room is not the place to make medical decisions, Iowa House Republicans approved a health and human services budget prohibiting public funds for abortions and discouraging elective Cesareans sections. Approved on a party line vote, 14-11, the plan that next goes to the full House [...]

DES MOINES — A House committee pushed through Gov. Terry Branstad’s Healthy Iowa plan Monday even as some members of the majority Republican Party expressed misgivings about the plan. “I’m being a good soldier,” said Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant. “Today I helped move the bill forward at the governor’s request and when it comes to [...]

  DES MOINES – Iowa senators agreed Tuesday to pump nearly $43 million in additional state surplus dollars into mental health services in an effort to avoid service cuts or waiting lists for counties functioning under a newly redesigned regional service delivery system. Backers said the Iowa Senate’s 33-17 bipartisan passage would put majority Democrats [...]

DES MOINES – Amid the partisan war of words over expanding health care access to more low-income Iowans there are hints lawmakers may be finding common ground. Democratic leaders, who have called Gov. Terry Branstad’s plan “deceptive and dishonest,” Thursday, emphasized what the plans have in common. “We’re focused on preventive medicine, wellness plans and [...]

Gov. Terry Branstad is being advised to spend his time on a long flight to China later this week reading the Senate Democratic plan to expand Medicaid to about 150,000 more Iowans. “I suggest you read our bill,” Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, a leading advocate of the ObamaCare-funded Medicaid expansion. “I suggest you read [...]