Several nonprofit organizations are mobilizing to help Iowans navigate and understand changes that are coming to Medicaid eligibility and requirements in Iowa. These changes are happening due to legislation known as H.R.1.
Some changes began Oct. 1, with additional changes beginning in December and then again in December 2027, according to the Polk County Health Department.
Those changes, according to the Polk County Health Department, include:
- Beginning Oct. 1, certain refugees and other humanitarian immigrants who do not have a green card lost full Medicaid coverage.
- Beginning Dec. 1, some adults applying for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, which provides health coverage at low or no cost to Iowans between the ages of 19 and 64, with eligibility based on household income, will need to meet a community engagement requirement to qualify for Medicaid. Those community engagement requirements generally mean participants, with some exemptions, must complete 80 hours each month through either work, education, job training, community service or a combination of those.
- Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, people enrolled in the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan will have their Medicaid eligibility reviewed every six months instead of once a year.
Deidre DeJear, president and CEO of Oakridge Neighborhood Services, which has a mission to provide housing while filling service gaps in the neighborhood, said clients are unfamiliar with navigating the new requirements…