COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Will proposed cuts to Medicaid hurt Iowans who need it? State Representative Josh Turek says the cuts will hit vulnerable Iowans as well as hospitals and nursing homes. Proponents of the bill point to a $50 billion rural hospital fund.
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- "Over the last five years, we've already lost 31 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities," Turek said. "So we’re already talking about a system that is underfunded — with critical shortages oftentimes — and we're talking about making significant cuts to that. It's fundamentally wrong."
- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Wednesday that only able-bodied adults will be removed from Medicaid: "...the fully able-bodied, who are sitting on Medicaid, turning down work. They're going to be going to get work, but they're also going to be getting private insurance, which is better for hospitals than Medicaid."
- According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 50% of adult Iowans on Medicaid are working fulltime. Another 27% are working part-time.
STATEMENT FROM HEARTLAND FAMILY SERVICE
“At Heartland Family Service, 82% of our clients make less than $25,000 per year (2023 data). Therefore, Medicaid is essential for many of our clients to be able to access behavioral health services with HFS and physical health services elsewhere. We oppose limiting that access to care because we know how important and life-saving Medicaid can be.”
STATEMENT FROM IOWA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATON
Chris Mitchell, president and CEO of the Iowa Hospital Association: "We are deeply concerned about the U.S. Senate’s vote to advance the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), and the effect the steep Medicaid cuts will have on Iowa's hospitals and the patients they serve. Rural hospitals already operate on thin margins, and these Medicaid cuts will exacerbate their already strained financial situations. Cuts of this magnitude will force hospitals to make tough decisions about reducing services or closing altogether.
Medicaid cuts to Iowa's hospitals affect not only Iowans who rely on Medicaid for their health coverage, but also all Iowans who require hospital care. We urge our representatives in the House to stand up for Iowa's hospitals and rural communities, ensuring that all Iowans have access to the health care services they need and deserve."
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel in Council Bluffs. Half of Iowa Medicaid recipients work full-time; others are permanently disabled adults. Many are children, and there are worries that cuts to that health insurance program could hurt some of the state's most vulnerable citizens.
Rep. Josh Turek: "It's a horrific bill, and every single American should be appalled."
State Representative Josh Turek uses a wheelchair and has been advocating for changes to Iowa's Medicaid system for years. He was just in Washington D.C. talking to members of Congress about proposed cuts to Medicaid.
"And you're doing all of this to be able to cut the taxes for people that make more than $550,000 a year," he said.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation — a large healthcare nonprofit — 600,000 Iowans are on Medicaid, and at least 86,000 Iowans would lose healthcare under the proposed budget cuts.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said on Wednesday that only able-bodied adults will be removed from Medicaid: "...the fully able-bodied, who are sitting on Medicaid, turning down work. They're going to be going to get work, but they're also going to be getting private insurance, which is better for hospitals than Medicaid."
Turek points to the large percentage of people on Medicaid who are already working but qualify because they have low income. He's also worried about rural healthcare.
"Over the last five years, we've already lost 31 nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities," he said. "So we’re already talking about a system that is underfunded — with critical shortages oftentimes — and we're talking about making significant cuts to that. It's fundamentally wrong."
Proponents of the bill point to a $50 billion rural hospital fund.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Sen. Joni Ernst told me: "Senator Ernst will continue to stand up for Iowa's rural hospitals, clinics, and community health centers that serve our state."
"We know what's going to end up happening. It's going to be fewer people that are eligible, it's going to be fewer services, fewer providers, and it's going to be longer wait lists," said Turek.
