Hunter
06/07/25
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed more bills passed by the Iowa Legislature into law this week.
A new bill will affect over 170,000 Iowans now on Medicaid. The legislation requires able-bodied adults on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan to work at least 80 hours per month, or earn the equivalent based on the state’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, or to be enrolled in an educational or job skills program to qualify for health care.
The governor issued a statement on the signing, and said, “If you are an able-bodied adult who can work, you should work. We need to return Medicaid back to its intended purpose — to provide coverage to the people who truly need it.”
Reynolds said her administration has already submitted a preliminary request to the Trump administration for permission to institute the work requirements; a final request is being tweaked before it will be submitted. Certain exemptions will apply, such as disability, caring for a child under 6 years old, and medical issues.
The Des Moines Register reports although Reynolds did not require legislation to ask the federal government for permission to implement Medicaid work requirements, her signature on the law means that the policy cannot easily be undone by a future governor. The law also includes a clause stating that if the federal government ever rescinds its approval for work requirements, the state would be required to end the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, subject to federal approval.
There are about 182,000 Iowans on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan that was expanded about ten years ago to provide health care coverage for uninsured and low income residents. State officials say average monthly enrollment would drop to about 131,000 enrollees during the five-year implementation of work requirements. By 2030, the state estimates the new legislation will save $49 million.
Iowa Democrats have accused the Reynolds administration of gambling with the lives of its citizens.