# Iowa HF 972: A bill for an act relating to health care including a funding model for the rural health care system; the elimination of several health care-related award, grant, residency, and fellowship programs; establishment of a health care professional incentive program; Medicaid graduate medical education; the health facilities council; and the Iowa health information network, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 754, HSB 191.) Contingent effective date, effective 05/28/2025, 07/01/2025. Iowa HF 972, A bill for an act relating to health care including a funding model for the rural health care system; the elimination of several health care-related award, grant, residency, and fellowship programs; establishment of a health care professional incentive program; Medicaid graduate medical education; the health facilities council; and the Iowa health information network, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 754, HSB 191.) Contingent effective date, effective 05/28/2025, 07/01/2025., is a 91st General Assembly (2025–2026) House bill sponsored by COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS; status signed, last action 2025-06-18 (NOBA: Final); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-18). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF972-2025-2026 - As of: 2026-10-18 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Iowa HF 972 - State: Iowa - Session: 91st General Assembly (2025–2026) - Title: A bill for an act relating to health care including a funding model for the rural health care system; the elimination of several health care-related award, grant, residency, and fellowship programs; establishment of a health care professional incentive program; Medicaid graduate medical education; the health facilities council; and the Iowa health information network, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HF 754, HSB 191.) Contingent effective date, effective 05/28/2025, 07/01/2025. - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-03-21 - Last action: 2025-06-18, NOBA: Final - Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (136 yes, 5 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Iowa seeks Medicaid medical training payments: benefit, low. Beginning May 28, 2025, Iowa must request federal approval for extra Medicaid payments supporting graduate medical education. The goal is to maximize federal training funds and increase medical residency slots in Iowa. After approval, the department must notify lawmakers and the Code editor. Severa… - Iowa seeks rural care partnership funding: benefit, low. Beginning May 28, 2025, Iowa must request federal approval for a rural health care partnership funding model. The hub-and-spoke model supports collaboration among regional rural health providers. The required request does not guarantee federal approval or funding. - Unused funds support health worker awards: benefit, low. Beginning May 28, 2025, Iowa creates a fund dedicated to the new health care professional incentive awards. Money not already committed in four older program funds moves into this fund when the transfer rules take effect. Further leftover money moves after existing agreements and awards end and the… - Health facilities lose planning grant option: cost, low. Iowa health facilities lose the statutory option to apply for matching grants to develop their plans. They can still seek technical help with planning. The law gives no grant amount. - Dentist loan aid loses funding options: cost, low. Iowa removes two authorized funding sources for its dentist education loan repayment program. They are the health care workforce shortage fund and the fulfilling Iowa’s need for dentists matching grant account. The dentist loan repayment program itself remains. The law states no funding loss amount… - New health worker awards limit eligibility: mixed, medium. Beginning May 28, 2025, Iowa offers loan repayment or income bonuses for listed high-demand health jobs in designated shortage areas. Annual award decisions begin July 1, 2025, with priority for full-time applicants. Full-time service generally requires five consecutive years with at least 2,080 wo… - Older health worker aid programs end: mixed, medium. Iowa ends its older primary care, rural primary care, health worker recruitment, health care award, and mental health loan repayment programs. Primary care provider loan repayments remain protected for contracts signed on or before December 31, 2025. The other programs preserve loan repayments for… - Patient data sharing gets privacy safeguards: mixed, low. The Iowa health information network must use industry-accepted security safeguards that meet at least federal health privacy requirements. Patients must have a way to opt out that minimizes burdens on them and health professionals. Network participants must give other participants a nonexclusive ri… - State health department reviews facility projects: mixed, low. Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services takes over certificate-of-need decisions from the Health Facilities Council. It generally must issue a written approval or denial within 90 days after accepting an application, with a statutory exception. Certificates last up to one year, but the depar… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-13 | Senate | Passed Senate | pass | 41 | 4 | | | 2025-03-26 | House | Passed House | pass | 95 | 1 | | ## Actions (16) - 2025-06-18: NOBA: Final (legislature) - 2025-05-28: Signed by Governor. (House) - 2025-05-27: Reported correctly enrolled, signed by Speaker and President, and sent to Governor. (House) - 2025-05-13: Message from Senate. (House) - 2025-05-13: Immediate message. (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Passed Senate, yeas 41, nays 4. (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Substituted for SF 618. (Senate) - 2025-04-22: Explanation of vote. (House) - 2025-04-03: Attached to SF 618. (Senate) - 2025-03-28: NOBA: House Floor (House) - 2025-03-27: Read first time, passed on file. (Senate) - 2025-03-27: Message from House. (Senate) - 2025-03-26: Immediate message. (House) - 2025-03-26: Passed House, yeas 95, nays 1. (House) - 2025-03-25: NOBA: House Full Approps (House) - 2025-03-21: Introduced, placed on Appropriations calendar. (House) ## Bill text - As Introduced: [PDF](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/HF972.pdf) - Enrolled: [PDF](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/HF972.pdf) ## Related bills - HF 2801: A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions. (Formerly HSB 785.) Effective date: 10/02/20… (signed) - SF 2472: A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial authority, and budgets, by modifying property assessment provisions, divisions… (signed) - HF 2601: A bill for an act relating to campaign finance, including participation in ballot issue campaigns by foreign nationals and investigations of election misconduc… (signed) - SF 2399: A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions. (Formerly SSB 3162.) Effective date: 07/01/2026. (signed) - SF 2471: A bill for an act relating to fees for lifetime fur harvester licenses. (Formerly SF 2317, SSB 3121.) Effective date: 07/01/2026. (signed) - SF 2299: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program. (Formerly SF 2176.) Vetoed 6-2-26. (vetoed) ## Sources - [As Introduced (PDF)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/HF972.pdf) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGE/91/HF972.pdf) ## Related - [HF 2801: A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and i…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF2801-2025-2026) - [SF 2472: A bill for an act relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2472-2025-2026) - [HF 2601: A bill for an act relating to campaign finance, including participation in ball…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF2601-2025-2026) - [SF 2399: A bill for an act relating to bail and bond amounts and conditions. (Formerly S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2399-2025-2026) - [SF 2471: A bill for an act relating to fees for lifetime fur harvester licenses. (Former…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2471-2025-2026) - [SF 2299: A bill for an act relating to the district-to-community college sharing or conc…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-SF2299-2025-2026) - [Iowa bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/iowa/bills) - [Iowa state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/iowa) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IA-HF972-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-18).