5 Iowa Healthcare Centers Closed Since Medicaid Cuts Took Effect
Five Iowa healthcare centers have announced closures, eliminated units, or cut services since Congress passed the 2025 “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” according to state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat. Turek made the remarks at a June 22, 2026, roundtable with nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and patients in Des Moines.
The closures reflect a pattern Iowa was already experiencing. The state closed 250 more healthcare clinics than it opened in recent years, and it is the only state in the country with a growing cancer rate, according to Turek’s account at the roundtable.
“Two in five Iowans who rely on Medicaid in rural communities are already seeing the impact of these cuts, with rural healthcare and hospitals closing.”
State Rep. Josh Turek, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, June 22, 2026
Iowa’s entire federal congressional delegation voted for the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” except Rep. Zach Nunn, who broke with his party to vote in favor of extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that expired at the end of 2025. Without those credits, premiums on ACA Marketplace plans rose for Iowans who do not qualify for employer or public coverage. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who currently represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District and is running for Senate in 2026, voted against extending those credits and voted for the Medicaid cuts.
Turek says the law will cause 110,000 Iowans to lose health coverage. The law also tightened rules on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which roundtable participants said will put further pressure on patients who already struggle to access food and care in rural areas.
Providers at the roundtable called on Congress to reverse the Medicaid cuts, regulate Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and establish a public healthcare option. They warned that clinics already anticipating further reimbursement reductions “know they just can’t survive.”
The Medicaid cuts in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” were the largest in the program’s history, according to CBO estimates cited repeatedly during the legislative debate in 2025. Iowa’s Medicaid program covers low-income adults, children, people with disabilities, and nursing home residents.
What You Can Do Now
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Call Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst at (202) 224-3121. Tell them to support standalone legislation restoring Medicaid funding and reinstating enhanced ACA tax credits. Iowa’s rural hospitals cannot absorb another round of reimbursement cuts.
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Contact Rep. Ashley Hinson’s office at (202) 225-6576 and ask her to co-sponsor any bill that restores ACA Marketplace subsidies. Enhanced credits expired at the end of 2025, raising premiums for Iowans who buy coverage on their own.
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Find your Iowa state legislators at legis.iowa.gov and ask them to pass state-level protections for rural hospitals, including ensuring Medicaid managed care organizations pay providers on time and in full.
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If you work in Iowa healthcare, submit a comment to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services at hhs.iowa.gov documenting service reductions at your facility. State officials need a public record of closures to justify emergency action.
Sources
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Turek Criticizes Hinson’s Vote for Medicaid Cuts at Healthcare Event
KFF: Premium Tax Credits and ACA Marketplace Subsidy Expiration
CBO: Budgetary Effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
KFF: Medicaid’s Role in Rural America and Hospital Closures
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Healthcare Closures and Rural Access
[Callout: Only state with a growing cancer rate.
Iowa cited by Turek amid 250 net clinic closures. Iowa Capital Dispatch]