Iowa Passes Health Care Expansion Legislation Without Mandate

The IowaSenate on Monday voted 42-6 to approve a bill (HF 2539) that would expand Hawk-Icoverage to tens of thousands more children, the DesMoines Register reports. Hawk-I is the state's version of SCHIP. The legislation wouldincrease the income eligibility threshold from about $41,000 for a family offour to about $62,000.

The expansion would cost an estimated $5 million nextyear and about $25 million annually by 2011. The bill also would allow youngadult children to remain on their parents' health insurance, encourage the useof electronic health records and create a consumer advocate position in the Iowa Insurance Division. The measure does not include amandate that all children have health coverage.

Details of the expansion would be determined by a commission, and the stateLegislature would consider the recommendations next year. The bill now movesback to the House, which approved similar legislation in March (Leys, DesMoines Register, 4/8).

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