The Affordable Care Act requires most health insurance plans to pay for screening mammograms intended to facilitate early detection of breast cancer. But in at least 10% of cases, women are called back to get secondary scans, and the cost of diagnostic mammograms and other procedures is not fully covered Read more…
BY BRITTANY HEARD, LEAD ADVISER, FOSTER GROUP INC. I’m an introvert. Growing up, I was particularly shy and soft-spoken. Even though I was a good student and a good athlete, I lacked confidence. I was content to remain unnoticed. For years, I didn’t feel like this was a problem. It was just who Read more…
Photo by Bethany Birnie, courtesy of the Coven While some companies are requiring employees to return to the office post-pandemic, some workers, and even their bosses, are pushing back. The push and pull is especially challenging for workers who benefitted the most from work-from-home models – women, caretakers, those with Read more…
Improving access to child care has been a bipartisan priority at the Iowa Statehouse for years. Although no single strategy will bridge the gap between the number of spaces available and what the state’s families need, lawmakers and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds are continuing to chip away. The major effort that has emerged so Read more…
BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT It was a sunny Tuesday in September, less than a week into my Fulbright grant, when I wandered into Madam Anna Ekke, a cafe in Munich, with a new friend. As we perused the menu and I suggested food options, my friend corrected my pronunciation of every Read more…
A proposal to extend the duration of Medicaid coverage for pregnant Iowans has widespread support, but some activists are concerned about the state potentially lowering the income threshold to participate in the program, saying it would shut out low-wage working moms who desperately need prenatal care. Many of the people Read more…
The Iowa chapter of Postpartum Support International received funding from the National Institutes of Health that will be used to create postpartum support groups throughout the state in 2024 and beyond. Advocates said this funding – and the groups it will be used to create – will help not only Read more…
BY BUSINESS RECORD STAFF Iowa advocacy groups that focus on improving maternal and infant health are coming together tomorrow for the inaugural Maternal and Infant Health Day at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines. Members of the public who wish to share their postpartum stories or voice their support of Read more…
April Schmaltz has been named CEO and president of Delta Dental of Iowa, the company announced. The announcement comes after the completion of a national search. Schmaltz replaces Jeff Russell, who left the company in May to become president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska. Schmaltz was Delta Read more…
Republicans who control the Iowa Legislature and governor’s office are signaling their intent to allow some pregnant women covered by Medicaid to keep coverage for 12 months after the end of pregnancy. In her Condition of the State address Tuesday evening, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she is proposing lengthening Read more…