News
State audit report: Iowa Medicaid MCOs may be overpaying PBMs
1+ hour, 51+ min ago (1163+ words) DES MOINES " An investigation released Wednesday by Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand found pharmacy benefit managers serving Iowa Medicaid used pricing practices that may have resulted in at least $100 million in pharmacy payment clawbacks over a three-year period and potentially…...
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (760+ words) Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue. Moderate Republicans called for a solution to save their 2026 political aspirations. President Donald Trump floated a way out, only to back off after conservative backlash. In the end, no one's efforts…...
Iowans push back on tax proposal to offset Medicaid shortfall
2+ mon, 3+ week ago (1739+ words) Members of the public testify during a legislative hearing on a proposal to raise taxes on health insurers to help address Iowa's Medicaid budget shortfall. The hearing was at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. DES…...
Iowa insurance firms warn bill would make health costs rise
3+ mon, 6+ day ago (686+ words) The Iowa Senate convenes for the opening day Jan. 12 of the 2026 legislative session at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. DES MOINES " Iowa insurance companies expressed stern opposition Tuesday to state lawmakers" proposal for a one-time, short-term increase of a…...
Far fewer people buy ACA health coverage as insurance premiums spike
4+ mon, 3+ week ago (1043+ words) Nationwide, the number of people buying health plans on Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces is down by about 833, 000 compared with a year ago, according to federal data released last week. Many states are reporting fewer new enrollees, more people dropping…...
Opinion: I did everything right. Health care still doesn't add up
5+ mon, 2+ day ago (324+ words) Jan. 8, 2026 9: 09 am On Jan. 1, our health insurance premiums jumped by hundreds of dollars a month. The Blue Cross Blue Shield plan we purchased through the ACA, which cost us $570 a month last year, is now $907 a month in January. That's…...
Iowa to receive $209 M in 1st year from federal rural health care funding program
5+ mon, 1+ week ago (1139+ words) Dec. 29, 2025 2: 54 pm The sun would rise over the Rockies, and Robin Gammons would run to the front porch to grab the morning paper before school. The Montana Standard slashed print circulation to three days a week two years ago, cutting…...
Parents, providers push back on Iowa Medicaid billing change
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (1396+ words) Closure of Tyson Foods" beef plant in Lexington is "close to the poster child for hard times," economic expert says Dec. 27, 2025 6: 00 am LEXINGTON, Neb. " On a frigid day after Mass at St. Ann"s Catholic Church in rural Nebraska, worshippers…...
Uncertainty, anxiety plague Iowans as the Marketplace enrollment deadline looms
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (1238+ words) Farmers and small business owners say disappearing subsidies are prompting tough decisions Dec. 15, 2025 5: 30 am Re Shonda Young is not frivolous with her money. "I'm not a big spender," she said. "My monthly expenses are super low already. I don't have…...
Insurers fight coverage of $49. 5 M award for UIHC Children's Hospital windows
6+ mon, 3+ week ago (947+ words) It has no obligation under the Travelers policies" IOWA CITY " Four months after the University of Iowa won a $49. 5 million arbitration award over faulty and defective windows installed up and down its 14-story Children"s Hospital, coverage of that cost…...