Expanding affordable health care for more working Iowans was a top priority during the 2013 session.
Our bipartisan work led to the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan. It’s Iowa’s approach to implementing the federal Affordable Care Act, which requires states to provide health care coverage to everyone below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (about $16,000 a year for a single person).
The goals of the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan include:
1. Making quality health care coverage available to 150,000 low-income Iowans who are currently uninsured.
2. Controlling health care costs for everyone by reducing the $1 billion in charity care provided each year by Iowa hospitals and rewarding health care providers for keeping costs down.
3. Focusing on prevention and improving health, which will help Iowa achieve the title of healthiest state in the nation.
The Iowa Health & Wellness Plan will begin on January 1, 2014. Iowans can sign up for coverage under this Plan or get private insurance through the “Health Insurance Marketplace.” Those with incomes below 400 percent of the federal poverty level (about $48,000 a year for a single person) will be eligible for help paying for their health insurance to ensure it is affordable.
Iowans can sign up for coverage beginning October 1. In the meantime, if you want to learn more or start looking into your insurance options, go to www.healthcare.gov. This official federal government site will answer your questions about premiums, purchasing insurance, qualifying for help and more.
More than 75 Iowa organizations fought for this expanded access to affordable health care. AARP Iowa describes the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan as “a victory for Iowa’s working poor, including more than 17,000 Iowans age 50-64 that are between jobs or in jobs without health coverage.”
Business organizations, including local Chambers of Commerce, say that access to affordable health care is a workforce priority for the business community that will improve both quality of life and worker productivity.