Iowa
Iowa passes Medicaid work requirement
Iowa lawmakers have approved a bill mandating that certain Medicaid recipients work to retain benefits, a move expected to affect tens of thousands of constituents who use the health program.
The new legislation makes Iowa one of the latest states to pursue such requirements. Georgia remains the only state with work requirements already in place, but may others have similar legislation pending approval or at various stages of implementation.
Newsweek has contacted Iowa lawmakers and the state’s Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Iowa’s new Medicaid work requirement is expected to affect low-income adults who receive health care through the state’s Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A number of states have recently pushed for Medicaid work requirements. On the federal level, House Republicans have proposed similar requirements as part of its budget.
Generally, critics of work requirements warn they will substantially weaken the Medicaid system, the largest public health insurance program in the country, by forcing millions off the service. Supporters argue that work requirements will foster employment, reduce fraudulent claims and improve personal responsibility.
What To Know
The bill seeks to include work requirements as a condition of eligibility for those on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, meaning they use Medicaid under the ACA expansion.
The legislation said, “The goal of including work requirements is to reduce the dependence of low-income Iowans on public assistance programs through efforts that advance economic stability and mobility.”
To be eligible for the program, Iowans 19 to 64 years old would have to work 80 hours a month, although some recipients would be exempt from the ruling.
Those who are “determined to be disabled by the United States social security administration” are exempt. Exemptions also include those identified as “medically frail,” caregivers of a child under the age of 6 and people with “high risk” pregnancies.
As the bill has been deemed of “immediate importance,” the new rules would come into effect upon its enactment.
According to the bill, if federal law or regulations affecting work requirements for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan are “modified to exclude work requirements as a basis for maintaining eligibility,” the department will discontinue the plan entirely, if it gets approval to do so.
A fiscal note on the bill said that as of April, 183,000 Iowans were enrolled on the state’s Medicaid expansion program. Of those enrollees, the report expected 32,000 individuals to lose coverage beginning in 2026 because of the requirements.
The report also anticipated that the new requirements would decrease the state’s total Medicaid expenditures by about $2.5 million in the financial year 2026 and by about $14.4 million in the financial year 2027.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
What People Are Saying
The Iowa State Democrats account on X, formerly Twitter, wrote on Tuesday: “Many Iowans rely on state funding to help cover their healthcare needs. The scale of our maternal healthcare crisis is growing. The Medicaid waiver waitlist for Iowans with disabilities is growing. This Republican budget proposal fails to bring relief to those Iowans in need.”
The Iowa Democrats X account wrote on Tuesday: “Countless Iowans rely on Medicaid to access healthcare coverage. Iowa Republicans in D.C. plan to ignore the concerns of their constituents and rip away their coverage to pay for a $4.5 trillion tax cut for the wealthy.”
Democratic state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott said: “Taking away people’s health care does not help them work. It often keeps people out of the workforce, because then they can’t pay for their medications, they can’t get the care they need. They end up getting sicker. They end up missing more work.”
Republican state Senator Mike Klimesh said: “So at the end of demonstration year five, we will see a savings in the state of Iowa as a result of this program of $50 million. $50 million in savings that we can really reallocate or reappropriate to other areas, perhaps work with our programs. We may be able to develop with further communication between ourselves in the House.”
What Happens Next
The Iowa Senate approved the bill in a 33-13 vote, the Des Moines Register reported. It went back to the House, which passed it in a 56-30 vote on Wednesday.
The legislation now heads to Governor Kim Reynolds, who is expected to sign it.
MONONA, Iowa (KCRG) – One person was injured and a suspect is dead after a stabbing in Monona Wednesday night.
Monona police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 200 block of South Page Street at 7:37 p.m.
Officers found a person outside a residence suffering from multiple stab wounds. The person was taken to a local hospital with a tourniquet applied.
According to investigators, the suspect barricaded himself on the second floor of the residence, where he had access to several firearms. The Clayton County CERT Team was called in after several attempts to get the suspect to exit the residence failed.
The suspect was found dead from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This is an ongoing investigation. No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Democrats will debate in Iowa US Senate primary shaped by outside money and big-name endorsements
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Democrats vying to be Iowa’s next U.S. senator are scheduled to debate Thursday, as each seeks to convince voters he’s better positioned to flip the Republican-held seat in a contest that has seen heavy outside spending and high-profile endorsements.
State lawmakers Zach Wahls and Josh Turek are competing in a June 2 primary. It is one of a few remaining competitive Democratic Senate primaries this year, as the party looks to find the best approach to reclaim the U.S. Senate this fall.
Iowa’s Republican Sen. Joni Ernst opted out of a reelection bid, leaving the seat open for the first time since she replaced retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in 2014. Republican Senate leaders have backed Ashley Hinson, a congresswoman representing northeast Iowa, committing $29 million for her to help keep their thin majority.
Democrats see an opportunity to flip seats in the once-competitive state, despite President Donald Trump’s double-digit win in the last presidential election and an all-Republican federal delegation. But first they need to settle which federal candidate will be at the top of the ticket. Early voting began Wednesday.
An influx of cash has shaped the final stretch
While Wahls and Turek have raised and spent similar amounts, a Democratic political organization, VoteVets, has spent about $7 million to support Turek in the final stretch of the campaign. That’s more than the two candidates have spent combined.
Turek, who is not a veteran, was born with spina bifida after his father’s exposure to chemicals while serving in the Vietnam War. The group has said Turek is uniquely positioned to advocate for veterans’ services, especially health care and military families.
Wahls has criticized the influx of cash as insiders in Washington trying to exert outsized influence, and it’s likely to come up again Thursday, as it did at an Iowa Press debate last week.
Tensions over the future of the party
Wahls has been vocal about who should — or should not — lead Senate Democrats, saying he would not vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York to be the caucus leader.
“The leadership of Chuck Schumer has failed the Democratic Party, it has failed the state and it has failed this country,” Wahls said during last week’s debate. “Dark money has an agenda, and that agenda is to protect the broken status quo and the failed leadership of Sen. Schumer.”
Schumer has tried to keep the focus on Republicans.
Wahls is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who joined him in Iowa for campaign events over the weekend. The progressive senator told voters the Senate needs Democrats who are willing to “get in there and stand up and fight.” Wahls also often highlights the support he’s seen from unions and local elected officials.
Turek responded to Wahls’ criticism saying he’s not a “DC insider.”
“I don’t know these folks,” he said. Turek explained his criteria for leader candidates but stopped short of saying he wouldn’t support Schumer.
“I will go up and ask whoever is deciding to run for leadership … ‘What are you going to do for Iowa? What are you going to do for Iowans? What are you going to do for the middle class?’” Turek said.
In the last week, Turek unveiled a rare endorsement from Harkin, who represented Iowa in Washington for three decades, as well as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Turek also has collected endorsements from sitting U.S. senators, including Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth, New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan and Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto.
Drawing greater contrast on issues
In the first debate last week, Turek and Wahls were aligned on many issues. Both said that they would not support the Republican president’s tariffs or the war in Iran and that they do support raising the minimum wage and restoring health care access with a public insurance option. They criticized corruption in Washington and proposed higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
But they also started to draw some contrasts. More of that is likely Thursday.
Wahls referenced a law Turek supported in the Iowa legislature that makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. Turek defended his vote, saying it was Biden-era legislation and stressed the importance of a secure U.S.-Mexico border. Turek said he also supports an easier path to citizenship and reforms to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Turek highlighted his working-class background and contrasted his work for a nonprofit with Wahls’ work for a super PAC focused on electing young Democrats.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
Fort Dodge Donnybrook champion Dru Ayala
Hear why Fort Dodge’s Donnybrook Champion Dru Ayala, brother of Drake Ayala, chose the Hawkeyes and has unfinished business in high school
Iowa State wrestling has added another lightweight through the transfer portal, earning the commitment of former Hawkeye Dru Ayala on Wednesday, May 13.
Ayala has been with the Hawkeyes for two seasons, with an 11-4 record as a true freshman and not competing in 2025-26. The 125-pounder will have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
“Grateful for where I’ve been, excited for where I’m going. Go Cyclones,” Ayala said in an Instagram post.
Before his time in Iowa, Ayala was a four-time state medalist with Fort Dodge. He made the state semifinals all four years and had a 153-16 record. He is the brother of former Hawkeye wrestler Drake Ayala, who recently accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Cyclones.
Iowa State has had multiple major departures with Anthony Echemendia, Christian Castillo, Daniel Herrera and others heading to the transfer portal. As a result, the Cyclones have been busy adding to the roster, with Dru Ayala joining Ayden Smith (Rutgers), Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) and Rin Sakamoto (Oklahoma State).
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
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