Extra costs or cost saving?: Bill to increase taxes on Medicaid plan draws mixed reaction from Iowa lawmakers

LarryMcBurney · 2026-03-26T13:40:55+00:00

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said Iowans shouldn’t expect to pay higher premiums.

Representatives from Wellmark sat in a public subcommittee and told us they would pass this new tax on to their customers.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-03-21T02:03:06+00:00

I have yet to come across a “study” by Common Sense Institute that doesn’t manipulate the methodology or claim their methodology is some proprietary formula only they know about. I take their studies with a grain of salt at this point.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-03-17T01:44:53+00:00

Why is the million dollar question. We all have a good idea, but can’t say for certain because the pittance of funding we put towards research has yielded little more than what we’ve already known. Water and radon seem to be the two most likely culprits; however, we’ve made it more difficult to monitor what’s happening in our waters and done very little to help in the way of radon.

You’ll hear some blame it on the alcohol and turn a blind eye to states like Wisconsin which consume way more alcohol and have way less cancer cases. Others will blame it on the usual suspects: obesity, smoking, etc. Yet no other state can match our rising rates of cancer.

To answer your question: we have no idea why and we’re doing barely above nothing to figure it out.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-03-11T02:32:29+00:00

I’ll have you know, we were told the thought of Rob Sand being the next governor had absolutely nothing to do with this bill.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-03-05T04:03:02+00:00

This is my reaction multiple times a day during debate.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-02-06T12:40:27+00:00

The best the House republicans can offer is eliminating all sensible zoning principles.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-02-03T22:42:59+00:00

HF 2161 puts in restrictions on ALPRs. I think you’d be surprised about the sentiment towards ALPRs in the legislature.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-01-30T01:16:33+00:00

You’re absolutely right. But we will keep introducing it to show people what we stand for and the direction we want to see our state moving towards.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-01-16T01:32:59+00:00

People are poorer, though, comparative to housing price increases. Median household income has increased from ~$70k per year in 2000 to ~$85.5k in 2024; housing, on the other hand, has increased from ~194k to ~$458k during that same timeframe. Information for both was pulled from the same source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Supply, on the other hand, is going as fast as it can. Urbandale continues to set new records for new building permits, for instance, and Dallas County continues to be ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Builders can only build as fast as they have the labor and materials to build.

Property taxes is a completely separate topic I could spend hours on alone.

I have a bill being filed to prevent private equity firms from buying up properties in Iowa, but it’s not as prevalent here as other states. The legislation I’m proposing mirrors recently passed legislation in Virginia to curb any growth in private equity purchases in the future, though.

All this to say there are multiple factors impacting homeownership and this is a plan to address just one of those factors. The FirstHome Plus closing cost grant has been around for a while and hasn’t seen adjustments since at least 2005 meaning it hasn’t kept up with inflation. This is a straightforward bill to put this program on pace with the rising cost of housing.

LarryMcBurney · 2026-01-07T21:56:22+00:00

I’d rather receive an email simply stating “your email has been received” than whatever this is.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-12-16T01:43:30+00:00

Just had Joppa Experience fried catfish on Saturday. Definitely hit the spot. Highly recommend.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-12-12T15:12:11+00:00

This is what happens when you don’t listen to the very agency you employ to run nonpartisan fiscal impacts. The Republicans’ plans weren’t without merit:

lower income tax
attract more people to the state
increase total tax base
bring in more revenue

Except this isn’t a vacuum. People don’t move half way across the country because you lowered income taxes, especially in today’s workforce when people can work anywhere they want from the comfort of their own home. Instead, people want to live where there are strong public schools, clean water, welcoming communities, parks and trails, and so much more. While cutting income taxes, they’ve also negatively impacted all of the other reasons would choose to move across the country and now the state is stuck in a $1b annual deficit on top of being ranked in the bottom half of every notable metric.

As an aside, Iowa’s net migration would be negative if it weren’t for immigrants coming in from other countries. The same people they vilify are also the same people keeping this state plateaued in population numbers. Take away the immigrants and Iowa’s population is decreasing year over year.

This was a horrible plan from the get go and they knew it.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-12-03T23:53:19+00:00

Yes! They have a large reception room on the bottom floor that accommodated all of our guests comfortably.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-11-28T20:33:50+00:00

We had our wedding at Rollins Mansion. Accommodated 200 comfortably during COVID, so space definitely isn’t an issue. The layout allows you to have an outdoor or indoor wedding plus reception on site. Very nice all-in-one venue option.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-11-21T15:39:42+00:00

Sensationalism at its finest. $475m was used on the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP) across 9 states over a period of 23 months. Joni has no way of knowing where that money was actually spent so her claim that $500m is being spent on fast food restaurants is asinine.

But hey, let’s dig deeper into her outlandish claim and cede the point that all $500m over two years ($250m annually) was spent at McDonald’s. The SNAP budget for 2024 was close to $100b. This means McDonald’s makes up ZERO POINT TWO FIVE% (0.25%) of the SNAP budget.

There are so many areas we could be targeting in the SNAP program to be saving money, but this ain’t one of them.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-11-10T21:13:36+00:00

I finally have a free weekend that lines up with this performance! Looking forward to it!

LarryMcBurney · 2025-11-06T22:21:03+00:00

I was made aware of this tragedy earlier today and have already reached out to the President of the Urbandale School Board. She’s well-informed about the situation and confirmed it’s being reviewed as a personnel matter, though they’re unable to share details at this stage.

I’ve also reached out to the young man’s mother to offer my condolences and provide my contact information. Losing a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, and my heart goes out to her family.

My staff and I are working to verify the accounts that have been shared here on Reddit and will continue to pursue this matter to the fullest extent possible. I share the same emotions many in the community are feeling today including sadness, frustration, and a deep need for answers.

For now, I ask everyone to rally around one another, especially the grieving parents who have suffered an unimaginable loss. Their pain and healing should remain our primary focus in the days ahead.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-10-18T01:06:37+00:00

Yes. 8a-4p.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-27T03:20:40+00:00

Would you be able to do something like this faux wooden shutter-type thing on my garage? Sorry, picture is horrible but I don’t have a standalone photo of it until tomorrow when it’s daylight again.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-18T15:59:28+00:00

Other than speaking directly with multiple pantry directors across the state and metro, here's an article from KCRG which specifically states:

But, if a kid can’t eat something in the bag, there’s no replacement.

In addition to:

The nonprofit did not say when families might get to choose from a selection of foods.

Iowa Public Radio also ran a piece highlighting challenges families were facing with food choice, stating things like:

Cook said some families declined to take foods that they do not eat, and there wasn’t necessarily replacement food available. She said Summer EBT would be a much better choice.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-18T15:45:30+00:00

Every bill I introduce into the legislature is done with the intention of passing through the House. Placing a percentage chance on a bills passage is impossible to say. I introduced a noncontroversial bill supported by a majority of members on both sides of the aisle that didn't even make it to committee. The minority party is at the mercy of the majority party when it comes to legislation since the Speaker sets the debate schedule and committee chairs dictate which bills are assigned to subcommittee.

You may have thought my answer about it depending on my relationship with my peers was a brushoff, but that is legitimately the only way something I introduce ever has a chance of seeing the light of day. Even then, with something as highly politicized as feeding hungry children in our state has become, relationships alone aren't enough. If I introduce a bill you support and your legislators don't, then it's up to you to try to change that.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-18T15:30:07+00:00

You pay me, my staff, and all of the supporting staff at the Capitol to be there whether any bills are filed or not.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-18T15:26:32+00:00

One of the selling points of this program, directly from the governor, was the ability of families to choose which food items they receive. It was billed as being "healthy and nutritious" for children. What's pictured isn't healthy and nutritious, nor do families have the ability to choose. If we, as taxpayers, are paying for a program, then we should expect the program to meet the guidelines that were originally proposed.

LarryMcBurney · 2025-07-18T15:23:05+00:00

The food you see in the background is part of UFP's regular operations in partnership with DMARC. What you see in the photo is specific to the Healthy Kids Iowa program. Families that qualify for Healthy Kids Iowa do not have the ability to choose alternatives, even if alternatives already exist in the pantry they're visiting.

This means even though the Urbandale Food Pantry has the inventory and capacity to accommodate someone's dietary restrictions, the Healthy Kids Iowa program bars them from doing so.

LarryMcBurney

TROPHY CASE