Iowa Governor Flips, Passes Medicaid Expansion

Previously opposed to the measure, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) reached an agreement with lawmakers to approve a Medicaid expansion bill into law to cover as many as 150,000 more low-income Iowans in addition to the roughly 400,000 already covered by the program, according to a report by the Des Moines Register.

State lawmakers and regulators are now drafting a full plan to present to HHS. The so-called “Iowa Health and Wellness Plan” will enroll Iowans earning below $11,500 on a state benefits plan similar to that of state employees, while others who earn up to about $16,000 will be able to apply federal subsidies to pay for health plans bought on the health insurance exchange.

Gov. Branstad is the ninth Republican governor to back Medicaid expansion, although some of those governors, including Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rick Snyder (R-Mich.), have been denied by their GOP-led legislatures.

Iowa Governor Flips, Passes Medicaid Expansion

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