Keeping health care professionals in Iowa

This was week nine of the session. We continue to pass bills on the House floor and send them to the Senate.

Like every state in the nation, Iowa is dealing with a shortage of doctors and health care staff, rising costs of care and the need to ensure access to quality services in rural and underserved areas of our state.

This week (March 13), we passed several pieces of legislation related to health care workforce challenges that address the many different sides of this issue. I’ll discuss two of them in this newsletter.

House File 516 aims to make it more likely that the health care professionals who are educated and trained in Iowa stay in Iowa to provide care.

This bill requires the University of Iowa medical school and dental school to have at least 80% of their students be residents in Iowa or enrolled in an Iowa community college prior to acceptance. It also codifies language to require medical residencies at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic to give priority to applicants that have an Iowa connection.

It also requires primary care residencies like family medicine, OB, psych and internal medicine at UIHC to provide the opportunity to participate in a rural rotation.

And it requires the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics to offer an interview for the medical residences of some of the most-needed specialties in Iowa to those with an Iowa connection.

With these initiatives, this bill focuses our state-funded medical school on making intentional efforts to address the workforce needs of Iowa. Right now, not enough of these graduates are staying here in Iowa to practice.

From 2020 to 2024, 81% of Iowa natives graduating from the state medical school left to do their residency in another state. In 2024, UIHC residents only remained in Iowa at 44% after completing their program.

The data shows that if you complete medical school and your residency in one state, you’re more likely to stay in that state and practice there.

This bill passed the House 67-28 with all "no" votes being Democrats.

House File 386 requires the University of Iowa and Des Moines University to study the feasibility of transitioning their programs to three-year programs.

I recognize that a three-year program may not make sense for every medical degree. However, there may be some that can be done over three years, saving the student money and getting that provider into the workforce providing care sooner.

This bill passed the House 91-4.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at the Capitol, or in the district.