Health Care, Rising Cancer Rates, and Fixing Medicaid

Affordable access to healthcare – physical and mental health – continues to be a challenge for so many Iowans. I believe that healthcare is right, not a privilege. I am proud to serve as one of four legislative board members on the Council on Human Services, the overarching policy board for the Iowa Department of Health & Human Services. 

I believe we need to ensure all Iowans have access to medical care close to home and there are a few ways we can work to make that happen. We need to ensure our rural critical access hospitals have the resources they need to keep their doors open and provide as many services as possible. We also need to expand telehealth for all Iowans, but especially in rural communities and particularly for mental health. And regardless of rural, urban, or suburban, many Iowans lack the financial resources to get to a doctor, so we need to do everything we can to connect them with Medicaid. And of course, as a state, we need to recruit, retain, and train more doctors and nurses in Iowa. The healthcare workforce shortage isn’t new, but it is getting exponentially worse. 

I have long believed that mental health care is one of our greatest human services challenges and what I hear regularly from constituents is that a robust mental healthcare system is still lacking in Iowa, even with legislative advancements. Investments in mental health are also critically important for alleviating the strain placed on law enforcement who all too often are on the front lines of responding to the mental health needs of the community members they serve. Iowans need us to help them get the care they need, not criminalize their illnesses. 

In 2024, I voted for DHHS’s plan for a Behavioral Health System that combines the funding and work of Iowa’s mental health and addictive disorders into one system under a statewide plan. The plan has now come online and it’s my hope that this system can be a catalyst for better support for Iowans in need. 

The privatization of Iowa’s Medicaid program continues to be a challenge for the most vulnerable Iowans. The performance of the MCO’s has improved, but challenges persist and continued robust oversight is important. I have supported removing Iowa’s long-term support services (LTSS) population away from the MCO’s and back under a state administered Medicaid program. We need to continue to work for a Medicaid program that is safe for patients, more reliable for providers, and more cost-effective for Iowa taxpayers.

We also need a Legislature fully committed to real solutions for Iowa’s cancer crisis. Iowa leads the nation in rising cancer rates, especially lung cancer. I’ve voted to increase radon mitigation, require written parental consent for tanning bed use under age 18, and provide funding for pediatric cancer research. To address nitrates, I co-sponsored the Iowa Healthy Water Act which proposed restoring the statewide water monitoring network and increasing nutrient reduction strategies. I support stronger regulations of vape products and we should consider raising the tobacco tax, which is proven effective to deter smoking and is supported by two-thirds of Iowa voters.