Day Three of “One Year, One Iowa” Tour: Rob Sand Discusses Rural Health Care Crisis

DES MOINES, IA – Yesterday, candidate for governor Rob Sand wrapped up his statewide “One Year, One Iowa” tour. On Wednesday, Rob kicked off his morning in Newton for a rural health care roundtable discussion with health care professionals, patients, and concerned community members to discuss the challenges with Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system, better support and infrastructure for telehealth services, and the shortage of health care professionals and facilities in the area that cause disruptions to care across the state. Participants also discussed the impacts of Iowa’s extreme 6-week abortion ban signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds and how it has impacted providers’ ability to stay in the state.

Read more about Rob’s rural health care roundtable below:

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Rural health care providers tell Sand about residency needs, abortion ban impacts

Health care providers told Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand on Wednesday that issues like Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system and restrictions on abortion are furthering problems in delivering and accessing health care in rural areas.
These concerns come as many rural Iowa health care providers have already had to close their doors or decrease services due to financial constraints. The Newton hospital paused all labor and delivery services in 2024. Dr. Abby Flannagan, an OB-GYN at UnityPoint Health in Grinnell, said at the roundtable the Grinnell hospital is now the only location many pregnant Iowans can go to to deliver their baby.
“Because at the end of the day, if we only have three doctors between Iowa City and Des Moines on the east and west, and Waterloo and Pella on the north and south, I think our priority is having people there to deliver babies — which is part of the reason why I think it’s important we not just talk about being a welcoming Iowa, but actually quit with the culture wars and just be focused on actually solving real problems for people,” said Rob Sand.

The Gazette: Sand: Expand eligibility for rural health care loan forgiveness

Medical reimbursement rates and keeping physicians in Iowa were among the topics Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand dug into with rural Iowa health care leaders during a campaign event Wednesday.
“Think about the experience of someone who comes to medical school in Iowa, would be happy to stay here, but realizes, ‘Well, I don’t qualify for loan forgiveness because I didn’t know I was going to love Iowa when I moved here,’” Sand said. “This is just a foolish choice on our part. We want doctors here. We should be saying, ‘Hey, if you’re taking a job in Iowa, in rural areas as a doctor, then we’re going to do loan forgiveness. We don’t care if you thought to sign up at the beginning of medical school to do that.’”
Sand added, “I’ve always said let’s get people into Iowa, because they’ll fall for it, they’ll love it the same way I do.”
“With the way that Medicaid is moving in the state of Iowa, doctors don’t get paid, hospitals don’t get paid. And so you’re having to sue Medicaid to get the money,” Dr. Bill Vandivier, a retired doctor who serves as chief physician executive and president of Mercy Clinics in Des Moines, said during the discussion.

KRLS: State Auditor And Candidate For Governor Rob Sand Holds Healthcare Discussion in Newton

Several topics were addressed, including the lack of young professionals in medical fields, the emergence of Tele-Health services, struggles with state reimbursement for services, and the lack of child delivery providers in the Newton area.
“One of the things that I thought was really interesting was learning that there is one place delivering babies between Waterloo and Pella, and Des Moines and Iowa City. That place is Grinnell, and there are three doctors there. Hearing that from one of the doctors here, and hearing the pressures they are dealing with, really helps me reflect on the idea that we want to make sure Iowa is a welcoming state.”