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.
Iowa
Iowa makes a splash with an All-SEC guard out of the transfer portal
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa women’s basketball was facing just six returning players for the upcoming season, but on Saturday they landed a big transfer.
Georgia’s Dani Carnegie is heading to Iowa City, she announced on social media. Carnegie was a First Team All-SEC guard with the Georgia Bulldogs.
She averaged 17.8 points per game at UGA. She was also a teammate with Chit-Chat Wright at Georgia Tech in their freshman seasons.
She’ll have two years of eligibility remaining with Iowa.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Killyan Toure Makes Decision on Iowa State Basketball Future
The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to look a lot different during the 2026-27 season than it did at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Gone are the five seniors who were on the roster: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder. Cade Kelderman, a junior guard, entered his name into the transfer portal along with Mason Williams.
Milan Momcilovic currently has his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, putting his future up in the air for a few more weeks. However, head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest a little easier knowing some of his core rotation is coming back. Included in that group now is Killyan Toure.
As shared by François Nyam via Jonathan Givony of Draft Express on X, the talented guard will be returning to Ames for his sophomore season.
Will Killyan Toure return to Iowa State for sophomore season?
Toure was a surprise member of the starting five for the duration of his freshman season with the Cyclones. Many people predicted that spot would go to Jamarion Batemon, the highest-rated recruit the program landed in the Class of 2025, but it was Toure who earned the trust of the coaching staff.
It was easy to see why this was the case early on. He was a ready-made high-level defender right out of the gate. His tenacious effort on that end of the court enabled Iowa State to deploy Lipsey in a more rovering role at times, playing the passing lanes and creating turnovers.
The senior was very impressed with what Toure brought to the court, giving him a ton of praise for his efforts on the defensive end.
A high-floor player because of his ability on defense, the Frenchman could truly breakout as a sophomore if he can find a rhythm offensively. His confidence seemed to wane during the season, as he hit the proverbial freshman wall.
NEWS: Killyan Touré will return to Iowa State for his sophomore season, François Nyam tells DraftExpress.
The 6’3, 19-year-old French guard started 37 games for the Cyclones, playing an important role in their 29-8 record and Sweet 16 appearance with his stifling defense. pic.twitter.com/XdS1L9XL9z
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 11, 2026
Toure shot only 38.7% from the field overall during Big 12 play and 23.8% from 3-point range, leading to his minutes being scaled back slightly as Otzelberger sought more offense for the lineup.
However, that confidence on offense did start to come back during the Big 12 tournament and in the NCAA tournament.
Over the final four games of his freshman campaign, Toure averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. He shot an impressive 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, knocking down 5-of-10 attempts.
Securing his return is a big win for Iowa State basketball. He has an incredibly high ceiling and is built to take the torch from Lipsey as the tone setter on the court.
Iowa
Iowa State basketball lands Northern Iowa transfer Leon Bond III
Iowa State basketball: T.J. Otzelberger on importance of HS recruiting
The transfer portal is an important piece in building a team, but high school recruiting and development is still big at Iowa State.
The name’s Bond — Leon Bond III — and he’s Iowa State men’s basketball’s first transfer portal commit of the 2026 cycle.
Bond was one of several reported to be visiting Ames this weekend, and he announced his commitment on Friday, April 10. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Bond, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, spent the last two seasons at Northern Iowa, after originally starting his collegiate career at Virginia.
Bond is coming off of a career-best year with the Panthers. He averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while shooting 47.3% overall, 36.2% from 3-point range and 75% from the free-throw line. He earned All-Defensive Team honors in the Missouri Valley Conference and was one of the key players in helping Northern Iowa win the conference tournament and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.
Across his two seasons in Cedar Falls with the Panthers, he appeared in 59 games with 57 starts and averaged 11 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Before that, he played one season for former coach Tony Bennett at Virginia in 2023-24, where he played 24 games off the bench, averaging 4.1 points over 12.3 minutes per game.
Offensively, he’s a solid athlete capable of getting to the basket and making plays above the rim, while showing an improved perimeter jumper that he’s worked on over the years. Defensively, he provides versatility and an ability to guard multiple positions. His length, athleticism and motor bode well for him as he transitions into Iowa State’s system.
As the first transfer commit for Iowa State, Bond is helping replenish the Cyclones’ roster after the graduations of Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder.
They also saw Mason Williams and Cade Kelderman enter the portal since it first opened on April 7. College basketball players will have until April 21 to decide if they are staying with their current schools or entering the transfer portal.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
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