Iowa Gov. Culver Signs $25M Bill To Increase Coverage for Children
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) on Tuesday signed into law a bill (HF 2539) that provides an additional $25 million over the next three years to extend coverage to more than 50,000 uninsured Iowa children, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. The law also sets the goal of establishing universal health coverage for all state residents within five years. In addition, the law:
- Allows children to stay on their parents' health plans until age 25;
- Establishes a medical records task force to study expanded use of electronic health records; and
- Establishes standards to reduce the rate of childhood obesity in the state (Glover, AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/14).
In related news, Culver on Tuesday signed into law a $1.2 billion health and human services budget (SF 2425) that includes a 1% increase in Medicaid provider payments. According to the AP/Tribune, the increase will generate $5.1 million to fund an increase in nurses' salaries (Glover, AP/Chicago Tribune, 5/14). The bill also provides $5.5 million for hospitals to offset their Medicaid costs, according to Culver (Des Moines Register, 5/14). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
