2024 Legislative Priorities
1. Workforce initiatives.
The Academy will continue to explore ways to increase quality physician access to patients in Iowa through workforce programs like the Primary Care Rural Loan Repayment Program drafted by the IAFP in 2014. Fully funding these programs is critical to maintain a physician centered primary care workforce in Iowa. As such, IAFP supports:
- Increased funding for the Rural Primary Care Loan Repayment Program,
- Increased state funding for the Medical Residency Programs
- Continued funding for psychiatric training at Des Moines University.
2. Scope of practice protection
IAFP is opposed to legislation that would erode physicians’ ability to practice within their full scope and that puts Iowa patients in harms way. To this end, IAFP is aware of the following perennial legislative initiatives:
- Pharmacy Statewide protocols. IAFP will monitor the legislation put forth to ensure patients care and the physician-patient relationship is not compromised.
- Naturopathic physicians. The IAFP opposes the licensure and recognition of naturopathic physicians because of the manner in which this group practices (i.e. do not follow evidence-based practices).
Truth in Advertising – Patients are being misled about the background and training of members of their healthcare team.
- Patients deserve to be informed on who is involved in their healthcare. Patients must be able to rely on and understand what their health care practitioners tell them.
- Any advertisement by a healthcare professional must include their name and licensure. Physicians may include their medical specialty or medical specialty title.
- In clinical settings, a healthcare professional cannot use any misleading terms regarding their education, training, credentials, or licensure.
- Clarity regarding the title “doctor” is important: Providers, including Advance Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants, who hold a doctorate degree and choose to use the title of “doctor” in a clinical setting must state their licensure.
3. Post Partum Maternal Care
IAFP supports expansion of Medicaid coverage through 12 months postpartum.
4. Increased Medicaid Reimbursement Rates
IAFP supports increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care services and for physicians in rural communities. Increased reimbursement allows for better patient access, improved outcomes, and healthier communities.
5. Primary Care Direct Spend
- Research continues to show that primary care is critical to the health of individuals, improves health outcomes, and is associated with a more equitable distribution of health in populations. Patients who identified a primary care physician as their usual source of care had lower five-year mortality rates than patients who identified a specialist physician as their usual source of care.
- Primary care spending lags in the United States compared to similar investment in most other high-income countries. Nations with greater investment in primary care reported better patient outcomes and lower health care costs.
- The IAFP will work with their payor partners or explore legislation to address the lack of investment in primary care focusing on the creation of state-level databases to quantify primary care investment and efforts to increase the level of investment.
Weekly Legislative Updates
We are pleased to bring you updates of the Iowa Legislature and report on issues that are important to family physicians put together by IAFP lobbyists, David Adelman and Sara Allen.