Rob Sand Calls to End Privatized Medicaid and Strengthen Iowa’s Public Schools

DES MOINES, IA – Last week, nominee for governor Rob Sand sat down with representatives from the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council to discuss the failures of Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system and the need to make health care more accessible and affordable for Iowans. As State Auditor, Rob uncovered a nearly 900% increase in wrongful denials of care due to privatized Medicaid. That’s why as governor, he’ll get to work on day one to end the privatization of Medicaid, lower costs, and make sure Iowans can get the care they need, when they need it. Read more about Rob’s plan HERE.

Following the roundtable, Rob joined Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and local public school teachers to talk about how to strengthen Iowa’s education system and put students and teachers first. Rob has called for several common-sense proposals to bring more accountability to Iowa’s unaccountable private school voucher program, including requiring income limits, limiting tuition increases, and ending sweetheart deals for the out-of-state companies that manage it. Read more about Rob’s plan HERE.

See more about Rob’s roundtable and meet and greet below:

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KTIV: Rob Sand backs Medicaid pay changes for disabled Iowans, proposes ending privatization

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand says he would support increasing pay for disabled Iowans on Medicaid if elected.
The legislation is called the Work Without Worry bill. It would remove Medicaid income and asset limits for Iowans with disabilities who work. Under current law, employed people with disabilities cannot make more than $37,000 a year to qualify for Iowa Medicaid.
“Getting that out of the way so they can work as much as possible but know that when they need that safety net because of a health thing that they’ve carried their entire life. And that safety net is there,” Sand said.
Sand says if elected he wants the state to pay doctors and hospitals directly for services instead of going through private insurance companies. Right now, Iowa pays doctors through private insurance companies, or MCOs.
“Right now we’re losing hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue every year because we just make it illegal here in Iowa. We should make data centers pay all of their taxes and then some,” Sand said.

KCCI: Rob Sand criticizes Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system

Democratic nominee for governor Rob Sand is urging changes to Iowa’s Medicaid system, saying the privatized model has failed residents.
Sand attended a roundtable discussion Thursday morning with Iowa voters, focusing on Medicaid and health care. He proposed starting the process of ending the privatization of Medicaid and transitioning to a nonprofit model.
“We’ve had privatized Medicaid for a decade in Iowa, and it has failed. Access to care has gotten worse. Costs have gone up for all Iowans, and taxes have gone up for all Iowans too. Just this year, the legislature raised taxes on most people’s health insurance in order to subsidize the profits of these privatized Medicaid entities. That just doesn’t make any sense,” Sand said.

WHO: Rob Sand Speaks at ISEA with Governor Laura Kelly

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Iowa Capital Dispatch: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly rallies Iowa educators for Sand’s campaign

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly joined Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand in Des Moines Thursday, saying her tenure shows it is possible to be an effective Democratic governor while working with a GOP-controlled state Legislature.
Joining Sand in person at the Iowa State Education Association headquarters, Kelly said when she was first elected in 2018, Kansas faced a “very similar situation” to Iowa as the state experienced budget problems — including public schools being “chronically underfunded.” Since then, she said, Kansas has “fully funded our schools now for eight years in a row,” alongside making additional investments in public education and special education services.
“None of this has been easy, and none of it happened because one party got its way,” Kelly said. “It happened because we worked across the aisle and stayed focused on our schools. After two terms, I am proud to say we did get things back on track. We balanced our budget, we funded our schools every year, and we built records for business investment and job creation. … What does that prove? That with the laser focus on the issues that matter, you can turn things around. And Rob Sand is that leader.”
“It’s not been easy to get things done, but if somebody knows where they want to go, there are ways and there are people that you will find if you’re willing to talk and be willing to listen … and now you will be able to find those legislators who can modify their approach or their vote to get where you want to go,” Kelly said. “You know, it may have to be transactional. You have to make some deals, and do really what they want over here, so that you can get what you really need over her. But there are ways to do it, and I have no doubt, given Rob’s history as your auditor … the fact that many people have been willing to work with him bodes well.”
She criticized Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial candidate, Zach Lahn, for his approach to state education, while pointing to a regular criticism from the campaign trail that he “still has a home in Kansas” and frequently travels to the state.
Kelly also said Lahn’s work in Kansas private schools shows he would not be the best choice for Iowans hoping to improve the state’s K-12 school system. In 2018, Lahn helped launch a private pre-K through 12th-grade school in Wichita, Kansas on the campus of Wichita State University called Wonder. The Kansas governor referenced a report from the Kansas Reflector that found Wonder owned Lahn and his wife Annie Lahn approximately $4.5 million in 2025, and that its expenses exceeded revenues in five of six years of operation.
“His plan for Iowa schools is to model them after the private school he started in Wichita, Kansas. That school is now $4.5 million dollars in debt. Iowa already has a $1.4 billion dollar budget hole. You don’t fix that by importing a failed model.”