Fry Times. Volume VIII, Issue 7 March 1, US News & World Report Ranks Iowa the Best State in America

Fry Times Volume VIII, Issue 7 March 1, 2018 US News & World Report Ranks Iowa the Best State in America In recent months, Iowa has received numerous accolades highlighting our strong fiscal management, high quality education system, and affordability for families. As a reminder, here are some of those recent reports: #1 state for middle class families #1 state in high school graduation rates #3 best managed state #4 in K-12 funding increases #4 state for retirees Representative Fry had the opportunity to meet with a group from the Chariton and Osceola Mosaic. They are pictured here in the Rotunda of the 2nd floor of the Capitol Building.

This week, US News & World Report named the Best State in America. The rankings include all 50 states and compiled 77 metrics with thousands of data points. The report ranks Iowa highly in several categories including: Infrastructure - #1 Health Care - #3 Opportunity - #4 Education - #5 Quality of Life - #9 For the past eight years, the House has put an emphasis on investing in education, ensuring Iowans have access to high quality, affordable health care, and making it easier for Iowa businesses to grow and thrive. This new report confirms what many Iowans already knew: Iowa is a great place to live, work, raise a family, or grow a business. We are just getting started in efforts to make our state even better for future generations. Iowa House Passes Telehealth Coverage Many parts of Iowa have limited access to a doctor. With few general practitioners and even

fewer specialists in the state, long travel times and expensive transportation costs for Iowa families is often the result. Faced with these barriers Iowans may end up going without the care they need. One possible solution is telehealth. Telehealth allows long distance patient/clinician contact and care. It is a practice that would allow an Iowan to speak with, visually see and be treated by a doctor by utilizing audio visual technology. HF 2305 requires telehealth care to be covered by healthcare insurance, just like health insurance covers a face to face visit between a patient and their healthcare professional. It passed out of committee unanimously and when considered by the entire House, passed by a vote of 98-0. HF 2305 has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The House Advances Bipartisan Comprehensive Mental Health Bill Last Tuesday, the Iowa House passed House File 2456, a bill that addresses gaps in the mental health system in the state. This is an issue that is personal to many Iowans. Few people are immune from the loss of a family member or friend who suffered from a lifelong battle with depression. Too often there is another tragic story in the news of a family feeling hopeless as they seek treatment far from home for their loved

one s chronic mental illness; but sadly, even more frequently, the stigma associated with mental illness drives the family to silence. Legislators are regularly contacted about the costs for law enforcement to drive across the state and find inpatient psychiatric beds; the costs to the hospitals that are not reimbursed for a patient no longer in need of acute level placement; and the costs to our jails and prisons for unintentionally becoming the default locations to treat individuals with mental illness. The House carefully modeled HF 2456 based on recommendations from mental health experts in the state. This bill takes a significant step forward to address these complex issues. This bill increases access to mental health services and creates new services for urban and rural communities in Iowa. By removing the statewide sub-acute bed cap and adding new services to the core list required by Iowa s 14 Mental Health and Disability Service Regions, this bill will deescalate mental health patients before crisis and wrap services around them when they are prepared to return home. The non-partisan Legislative Services Agencies estimates that Medicaid members will make up 80% of the clientele using these preventative services, and this bill ensures long-term sustainable funding for these mental health and

substance abuse services as Medicaid covered services. Importantly, this bill returns mental health care determinations to medical professionals, instead of judges and law enforcement officers. Mental illness is a health condition, and it should be treated as compassionately as any other illness. This bill takes a significant step forward in improving the mental health system in Iowa, and a detailed analysis of the bill can be found below. Mental Health Services Analysis State Government Update Three bills that passed the State Government Committee have been voted out of the full Iowa House of Representatives. HF 2200 (Formerly HF 2020) authorizes the Terrace Hill Commission to establish and maintain an endowment for the funding and conducting of piano competitions and to provide scholarship to participants. This bill passed with a vote of 93-5. HF2417 (Formerly HSB 658) allows for a participant in amusement concession at a fair to make a payment by credit card. Previously an individual wishing to participate in an amusement concession would have to pay with cash, personal check, money order,

bank check, cashier s check, electronic check, or debit card. This bill passed with a vote of 98-0. HF 2351 (Formerly HF 2049) requires a city, county, or the state to continue to provide group health insurance benefits to the surviving spouse and children of a peace officer killed in the line of duty. This bill passed with a vote of 95-0. There are fifteen other bills from the State Government Committee that eligible for floor debate. Here is a list of a few of the notable bills: HF 2424 (Formerly HSB 590) establishes professional requirements for an uncredentialed tax preparer. HF 2349 (Formerly HSB 610) transfers the Statewide Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program from being maintained by the casinos and boats to being maintained by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. HF 2277 (Formerly HSB 550) allows for public records to be examined if it is over one hundred years old. HF 2282 (Formerly HSB 560) increases the actual retail value for an amusement concession prize from $100 to $950. HF 2344 (Formerly HSB 612) allows cash to be dispensed on the gaming floor. HF 2378 (Formerly HSB 644) allows for federally recognized Indian tribes to be

considered a public agency in certain circumstances. House Passes Veterans Affairs Bill This past week the house passed HF 2355 which creates a recovery pilot program for veterans. This bill establishes a veterans recovery pilot program and a fund for the reimbursement of expenses related to providing hyperbaric oxygen treatment to eligible veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs will administer this program. This bill defines hyperbaric oxygen treatment and allows it as diagnostic testing and other related medical treatments, for traumatic brain injury, posttraumatic stress disorder prescribed by a health care practitioner that utilizes a United States Food and drug administration-approved hyperbaric chamber or hyperbaric oxygen device. It also creates a veterans recovery fund in the state treasury under the control of the department of veterans affairs, this trust will completely fund the veterans who do this program. The purpose of this bill is to give veterans the opportunity to take part in this pilot program if they suffer from traumatic brain injury or PTSD. Other programs such as this exist throughout the country and there are several facilities here in Iowa that will be able to administer this treatment. The veterans

will not be required to pay for this out of pocket as the trust that is set up will have the funds to pay for this program and all expenses tied to it on behalf of the veterans. If there is not enough in the funds, the veteran will not receive this treatment until it can be fully funded. This fund is made up of donations, grants, gifts, etc. No appropriations are needed to fund this program. A health care practitioner can prescribe this treatment for any qualified veteran. The next step will be a proposed treatment plan that includes: a prescription order for hyperbaric oxygen treatment issued by a health care practitioner, information verifying the eligibility of the veteran to receive this treatment, an estimate of the total cost for providing the treatment from the treatment facility, and an estimate of cost for reimbursement of any necessary travel and living expenses for the veteran doing the treatment. Once this treatment proposal is approved by the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Commission, the treatment plan will begin for the veteran. As always, please join me at one of my legislative forums in March: March 30 th @ 8:00 Corydon Farm Bureau March 30 th @ 10:00 Chariton Mosaic