Iowa state capitol building

Iowa legislators have passed five bills that will favorably impact direct-care workers.

The Iowa Caregivers Association (ICA) was active through every step of the legislative process, working with legislative leaders and staff, government agencies, and other advocacy groups, as well as organizing a day at the capitol to ensure that the needs of Iowa’s direct-care workforce were not overlooked.

The ICA reports that these bills were passed and affect direct-care workers as follows:

• Changes in criminal history checks will require that both a criminal history and child and dependent adult abuse check be conducted before a student begins a certified nursing aide (CNA) training program.
• Facility-based direct-care workers accused of dependent adult abuse would receive written notification that they are being investigated; be advised of the right to be represented; and be advised of the right to appeal. Workers would not have their name placed on a central abuse registry until the appeals process was completed.
• Consumers will be given a voice in health insurance rate increases. This law affects direct-care workers who purchase health insurance through an insurance agent. It requires that health insurance companies proposing to raise their rates give advance notice to their policy holders; hold public hearings before rate increases can be approved; and provide consumers with additional information that explains how their insurance premiums are calculated.
• Access to health care services will be expanded by increasing the provider network for those eligible for the IowaCare health benefits program. This law allows services to be obtained at closer-to-home hospitals and providers rather than only two designated facilities in the state. The law also calls for the creation of an Iowa Insurance Information Exchange for Iowans to find out about available health care coverage and compare benefits, premiums, and out-of-pocket costs.
• The ICA will be given funding for professionalizing the direct-care workforce. The money will go toward helping workers participate in conferences, meetings, and training opportunities. This law also states the intent to have a Board of Direct Care Workers established within the Iowa Department of Public Health by July 1, 2014. The legislature already established the Direct Care Worker Advisory Council in 2005, of which two members are direct-care workers.

“In a legislative session filled with budgetary and election-year challenges, numerous direct-care worker issues were addressed and real progress was made,” said ICA Policy Director John Hale. “That happened, in part, because more direct-care workers and their supporters are getting to know their legislators and are communicating with them on a more regular basis.

“In Iowa, a workforce that has been largely invisible is now on the radar and getting more attention!” Hale said.

More information about the bills, ICA’s involvement in the legislative process, and ICA’s opinion of these bills is available online (pdf).

– by Deane Beebe