Kim Reynolds on Health Care

	Kim Reynolds on Health Care

Expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months

To continue building a robust culture of life, we must also do everything in our power to ensure new moms and their families--especially those who are struggling--have what they need to make ends meet. Today, Medicaid only covers postpartum care for two months after birth. I'm proposing to expand that coverage to 12 months, for new moms who make less than $42,000 a year. Let's do more to help moms, babies, and their families get off to a good start. Source: 2024 State of the State Address to Iowa legislature , Jan 9, 2024

Increase funding for health care apprenticeship program

I'm announcing that we're increasing funding for the health care apprenticeship program we created last year, taking it from $3 to $15 million. In addition to expanding opportunities for nursing pathways, we'll be adding apprenticeships for emergency medical services, mental and behavioral health, and direct support professionals. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Iowa legislature , Jan 10, 2023

Republican governors honored your freedom during pandemic

Republican governors faced the same Covid-19 virus head on. But we honored your freedoms and saw right away that lockdowns and school closures came with their own significant costs; that mandates weren't the answer. And we actually listened to the science, especially with kids in masks and kids in schools. Source: GOP Response to the 2022 State of the Union address , Mar 1, 2022

$30 million over two years to fund mental health reform

In the last three years, we have reformed our mental health system and we're continuing to make it better. I'm proposing to increase mental health funding by $15 million this year, and another $15 million next year, to fully fund those reform efforts. And I know that our mental health regions are working on innovative solutions to address the unique needs of children who have been affected by the pandemic. Source: 2021 State of the State Address to the Iowa legislature , Jan 12, 2021

Kept state "open for business" during pandemic

We have all kept our states "open for business" and delivered food and other goods Americans need during this pandemic. Like other states, we did have to close pieces of our economies temporarily. To meet this challenge, our states moved quickly to cut red tape and allow private employers to pivot to new business models.

As we move into the next phase of managing the pandemic and consider President Trump's guidelines for "Opening Up America Again," we are applying our propensity for planning to reopen the segments of our economies that temporarily closed. Each of us has identified triggers for when regions of our states and sectors of our economies should reopen, based on metrics tailored to our unique circumstances. We are sharing expertise and best practices on how to safely reopen restaurants, churches, gyms and other businesses while continuing to slow the spread of infection.

Source: WaPo OpEd by 5 governors for 2022 Iowa gubernatorial race , May 5, 2020

Shift mental health funding from property tax to state

Mental health is becoming one of the biggest challenges of our time. We must provide predictable funding. To date, property taxpayers have supplied most of that support, through their county to the local mental-health regions. I'm proposing, through the Invest in Iowa Act, that we reduce property tax levies and provide the needed funding through the State general fund. Source: 2020 Iowa State of the State address , Jan 14, 2020

Telehealth is a reality and will help underserved Iowans

We're launching a tele-mentoring system where OBs at our best institutions can consult with physicians across the State. Using technology to bring cutting edge health care into every community is no longer a dream. Telehealth is reality today but we've only just begun to scratch the surface. This year, my budget includes additional funding to expand the use of these services to underserved Iowans. Source: 2020 Iowa State of the State address , Jan 14, 2020

Individualized, patient-centered managed care for Medicaid

Before the Affordable Care Act, Iowa had an individual insurance market with relatively low cost and high participation. Now, our healthcare market is collapsing. It's unaffordable. It's unsustainable. And it's unacceptable.

I continue to call on Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But we can't wait for Congress to fix it.

Almost two years ago, we modernized our Medicaid system to an individualized, patient-centered approach that was already in place in 39 other states. It was a change that needed to be made.

I still believe managed care is the right decision for Iowa, but it has become very clear that mistakes were made in how it was done. With our new team in place, we are continuing to work with our Managed Care-Organizations to ensure Iowans are getting the best possible outcomes. And we are reaching patients in new and innovative ways to individualize their care.

Source: 2018 State of the State speech to Iowa legislature , Jan 9, 2018

Train all doctors to recognize mental health challenges

We must continue to provide compassionate mental health care. In 2013, we redesigned Iowa's mental health system with bipartisan input and support. We moved from a county-by-county system to a regional network, ensuring the same core services for all Iowans, regardless of where they live.

150,000 more Iowans have mental health coverage today and have access to more local and modern services. We've invested $2 billion in mental health services. And in 2016 we invested $4 million in a new psychiatric medical residency program to recruit and retain more psychiatrists.

But we must do more, and I know we can. I look forward to an exciting new initiative, where every new doctor will receive the training and skills to identify and treat a patient with a mental health challenge. I have included money in my budget for this innovative program. It will be the first-of-its-kind.

Source: 2018 State of the State speech to Iowa legislature , Jan 9, 2018

ObamaCare is unaffordable, unworkable, and unsustainable

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds responded to Congress on ways to improve our broken health care system created by ObamaCare. Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds wrote:

First, Congress and the new Administration must repeal ObamaCare, because it is unaffordable, unworkable, and unsustainable. We must then replace it with health care reform that is affordable for Iowans, empowers the consumer to have high quality health care, and provides states the flexibility they need to afford and sustain their Medicaid programs.

In 2017, Iowans purchasing an ObamaCare health plan saw their premiums increase 43%. Early reports indicate some premiums in 2018 are expected to more than double. Health care reform must use market-driven strategies to give consumers affordable health care choices year after year. Although ObamaCare improved access in the short term it threatens access in the long-term due to its faulty design causing unaffordable costs for patients.

Source: IA Lieutenant Gubernatorial website LtGovernor.Iowa.Gov , Jan 20, 2017

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