Clay Masters

Public health experts in Iowa are concerned that officials might be moving too fast to reopen the state with big events since demand for COVID-19 vaccinations has weakened.

Iowa's governor is ordering K-12 schools offer students 100% in-person learning. But Iowa doesn't have a mask mandate, all teachers and staff aren't vaccinated and social distancing is a challenge.

Some municipal water utilities are taking emergency measures to sequester some employees to assure that they can keep the water flowing as the coronavirus spreads.

To save money, Iowa recently turned over its Medicaid recipients to private managed care companies. Now, some companies are losing money and some people say they're not getting necessary care.

The way one fifth of Iowa's residents get health care is about to change. The governor is putting Medicaid in the hands of private insurance companies, and 11 firms are vying for that business.

Obamacare provided billions in seed money to help establish insurance companies called co-ops. One of the biggest has now gone under, and its state overseer is telling clients to switch carriers.

Iowa initially chose not to expand Medicaid to thousands of beneficiaries under the Affordable Care Act. But it's come up with a plan that uses federal money to pay for expansion, while writing its own rules. Beneficiaries will have to pay a small premium, for instance.

Iowa's Republican Governor Terry Branstad is pushing to make Iowa the healthiest state. Under the Affordable Care Act, states are deciding whether to expand Medicaid and that's created an opportunity for compromise in Iowa.