The Senate approved expanded access to affordable health care on March 25 with the passage Senate File 296.
It was an exciting day in the Chamber with Iowans from across the state on hand to encourage the bill’s passage. Among the 78 organizations in support of our effort are the Iowa Catholic Conference, AARP and the Iowa Hospital Association. We are proud to stand with these groups to do the right thing for the people of Iowa.
The legislation will make affordable health care available to many Iowans who are working fulltime—or even more than fulltime. The problem is that their employers don’t provide health insurance and they don’t earn enough to buy it on their own. In addition, our vote will also help everyone who does have health insurance.
The bill we passed will:
• Cut the number of uninsured Iowans in half by providing 150,000 low-income Iowans with quality, affordable health care.
• Increase family financial security by reducing costly health problems that can cause home foreclosures and family bankruptcies.
•Shrink Iowa’s $1 billion annual bill for unpaid medical care—costs that everyone must pay through higher medical bills and insurance premiums.
•Focus on ways to improve health outcomes to boost patients’ quality of life and lower long-term health costs.
This is a smart, fiscally responsible approach for the state budget, saving Iowa up to at least $136 million next year. For the first three years, expanded Medicaid will be paid for by the federal government. After that, the state’s share slowly increases until 2020, at which point Iowa will pay 10 percent of the total cost.
The majority of states have already decided to expand Medicaid because it will provide the best health care for low-income families while reining in long-term costs. Senate File 296 now goes to the House for consideration.