NEWSLETTER

infoNET NEWSLETTER

The infoNET Newsletter helps advocates with disabilities stay up to date on current issues in the Legislature, the governor’s office, and U.S. Congress. It also provides information on how to be a more effective advocate, how to connect with other advocates, and when there are opportunities to bring your issue to the attention of lawmakers and opinion leaders.

This newsletter is published quarterly. For more current information, check out our weekly reports during the legislative session and breaking news.

It has been an eventful three months since our last newsletter in September. A new President and Congress have taken over in Washington DC and the Iowa Legislature got back to work for their 110-day legislative session.  

Republicans in Washington now control Congress and the Presidency. Republicans in Iowa kept their control of the Iowa Legislature. They now have the largest majority in the House since 1971. 

This is important because it means Republicans will have a better chance at passing their priorities, including some that may impact Iowans with disabilities. Changes to Medicaid are one of the things that both Congress and the Iowa Legislature are considering. 

You can see the Iowa DD Council's 2025 Public Policy Priorities here.  Each priority includes at least one advocate story to help explain why the issue is important.  Special thanks to our advocates for sharing their stories.

1. Thumb:  Introduce yourself. 
2. 2nd Finger: What is my issue?
3. 3rd Finger: Why I care.
4. 4th Finger: Why the legislator should care.
5. 5th Finger: Ask for support.

You can use our "Hand" below to help with your advocacy.  You don’t have to write it on your hand, but it helped Phoebe and Brexlee at Autism Awareness Day at the Capitol!

Congress & Iowa Legislature Considering Changes to Medicaid

Congressional leaders have a long list of priorities for 2025. Immigration and border control, continuing tax cuts that will end in 2026, and passing a budget to keep the Federal government running are at the top of their “to-do” lists. While it is too early to know for sure, Medicaid appears to be on the list of things Congress will look at this year. Congress may consider cuts, increasing the state match, eliminating services, adding work requirements to access services, or block granting Medicaid to states. Block granting means the federal government will give each state a set amount of money to provide services and let each state decide how to spend it.  

The Iowa Legislature is also thinking about changes to Medicaid.  

• Requiring people to work or go to school in order to get or keep Medicaid.
• Combining home and community based services (HCBS) waivers.
• Automatic annual raises for Medicaid providers.
• Adding doulas (professional pregnancy supports) as a covered service to help pregnant moms.
• Reconsidering income and asset limits to allow people to work without losing health care and personal care (called “Work Without Worry” during the last legislative session).
  

The Iowa DD Council is hosting a special one-hour webinar called “Medicaid: What’s at Stake and How to Advocate” on Friday, February 7 at Noon. During this time, policy experts will talk about some of the changes being discussed in Washington DC, the state’s budget challenges, and how both could affect Iowa’s Medicaid program.  

Register here.  If you miss the webinar or have a conflict, a recording will be posted here.

Iowa Medicaid by the Numbers

The following information came from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Iowa Medicaid dashboard.

Legislative Leaders, Governor Outline Priorities

Legislators got back to work at the Iowa Capitol on Monday, January 13. Legislative leaders outlined several issues to tackle:

• Cutting property taxes.
• Requiring Medicaid members to work or be in a job training program.
• Improving foster care system and helping adoptive parents.
• Increasing access to affordable childcare.
• Tackling Iowa’s sky-high cancer rates.
• Improving rural access to health care, particularly for pregnant moms.
• Stopping cellphone distractions while driving or in schools.

House leaders are also showing their policy hand by creating two new committees: 

• Higher Education Committee to look at policies and studies at Iowa’s community colleges and state universities. Disability is often included as a part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) studies, which could be reviewed by this committee.

• Federal and Other Funds Subcommittee to be ready for any Congressional changes that give states more flexibility in spending federal funds. This subcommittee could play a role in reviewing things like Medicaid block grants.

You can see who is on each committee here.  You can also find committee listings, legislator bios, and more in our guide, Who Represents You?

Governor Kim Reynolds spoke to the Iowa Legislature on January 14 and presented her top priorities for the legislative session. She pointed to Iowa’s top rankings in national polls as a sign that our state is on the right track and said her 2025 priorities build on that success. You may see some things in common with legislators in her recommendations:

• Ending cell phone use in cars and schools.
• Requiring Medicaid members to work.
• Cutting the taxes companies pay for unemployment.
• Funding cancer research and developing strategies to reduce Iowa’s high cancer rates.
• Creating a Government Efficiency Task Force to improve government processes and save tax dollars.

The Governor’s budget includes:

• $223.3 million increase for Medicaid.
• $3 million grants to employers to help their employees become nurses and certified nurse assistants (CNA).
• $25 million to increase nursing home Medicaid rates.
• $5.6 million to increase other provider rates (not specified).
• 44% increase in funding for private school vouchers/scholarships ($315 million total).
• $32.5 million cut to Area Education Agencies.

Want More Information?

• Click here for Governor’s budget review by non-partisan legislative staff.
• Click here for the Governor’s Priorities document and speech.
• Click here for the Governor’s budget detail document.
  

Notable Bills from the First Week of Session

More than 200 bills were sent to committee in the first week of the Iowa legislative session. Dozens of new bills are introduced each day and we have an easy way for you to keep track of them. Our Bill Tracker explains which bills might have an impact on you - clear explanations and up-to-date status included.  Here are a few that we wanted to share with you:

• Senate File 14 by Sen. Jeff Taylor:  Makes scholarships available to college-aged adults with disabilities who are attending “Comprehensive Transition and Post-Secondary Programs” at an Iowa college or university.  Scholarships would be $5,000/year for these programs, like Northwestern College’s NEXT and University of Iowa’s REACH. College scholarships and loans are not available like they are for regular college degree programs. Some cost more than $25,000 a year. This bill would help make these programs more affordable to families and allow more Iowans to participate.

• House Study Bill 10: Allows schools to replace their school nurse with an athletic trainer. This is concerning to many families whose children have significant health needs or need medications administered at school. School nurses also participate in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings so that students get the health supports needed to succeed in school.

• House File 13 by Rep. Taylor Collins: Gives Medicaid providers an automatic annual increase of up to 2.5%. This would help keep rates current and providers would not have to fight for increases every year. This may help keep and attract more providers to the Medicaid program.
  

New Bill Ends Limits on Autism Treatment

In case you don’t believe that your story has power, take a look at House File 5. Rep. Eddie Andrews of Johnston sponsored this bill after hearing from a constituent.  The bill treats autism like all other mental health conditions by no longer allowing insurance companies to limit visits, cap benefits (currently capped at $36,000/year), and end coverage after age 18. This bill makes sure Iowans diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will be able to access the services and supports they need, regardless of their age.  

The Iowa DD Council did its first “Bill of the Week” on this bill. This year the Iowa DD Council is also developing Advocate Talking Points to help Iowans with disabilities get started with their advocacy. 

IRS Raises ABLE Account Limits

Iowans with disabilities can save more in 2025 after the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) raised its cap on ABLE Account savings to $19,000 (an increase of $1,000). ABLE Accounts allow people with disabilities to save for future expenses without losing Medicaid, Social Security and other government benefits. 

The Iowa DD Council is hosting an IABLE webinar on January 23 with State Treasurer Roby Smith. Treasurer Smith talked about the increased annual contribution amount, tax savings, lowered fees, and qualified disability expenses.

• You can register for this webinar here. 
• If you were unable to attend this webinar, a recording will be posted here. 

Learn more about opening an Iowa ABLE Account check out the IABLE website

Helping Advocates Tell Their Stories

As you can see, Congress and the Iowa Legislature will be looking at a lot of things that could make the lives of Iowans with disabilities easier, or harder. Most elected officials do not have personal lived experience, so they rely on advocates to tell them how things would change if a bill or law passes.

The Iowa DD Council wants to help you be your own best advocate.  Here are a few resources to help you get started:

• Read our weekly This Week@Capitol reports here.
• Attend our biweekly Capitol Chats on Fridays (Noon-12:30) - register here.
• Click here to check out our new and expanded guide - Who Represents You?
• Look for a town hall near you here - even if you don’t have an issue, it is a great place to meet your elected officials.
• Email your legislators using our Take Action Center.
• Dig into the issues with our Bill of the Week & new Advocate Talking Points.
• Share your story on social media and with us! 

Iowans with disabilities have been telling their stories - and newspapers and social media are sharing them.  Robert Fisher and Zach Mecham have both been featured in local news recently. 

• Read about Robert Fisher's work to make his community and the rest of Iowa accessible here.
• Check out Zach Mecham's opinion piece in the Des Moines Register here, where he asks lawmakers to remove barriers to working.