Legislative Successes
A recap of legislative successes from the past four years can be found below.
2025 Legislative Session Recap
Medicaid Victory: Improving Access for Every Iowan
After many years of heavily advocating for better dental Medicaid rates, legislators have finally included a budget increase for the program! The budget chairs for the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee included a $2.1 million increase for the dental Medicaid program in the final HHS budget. This is the first time in more than two decades dentists will see an investment into the program, helping many dentists to continue serving those on Medicaid in Iowa.
While this increase is significantly less than what the program needs, it is a promising start. We can celebrate the first major win for the dental Medicaid program in decades because of YOU! IDA members across the state stepped up and took on the grassroots advocacy work needed to educate their legislators on the importance of the program and shared meaningful reasons why an increase is necessary! Thank you!
Strengthening Our Workforce by Opening New Pathways for Staff
Finding and maintaining the dental workforce is challenging for offices, specifically those recruiting dental assistants. The two dentists in the Iowa House, Drs. Steve Bradley and Tom Jeneary, worked with the IDA to advocate for and pass HF 805, allowing dental assistants to work in Iowa without registering. The law does not eliminate registered dental assistants. As in our surrounding states, it allows for a system where registered and unregistered dental assistants may practice to meet the needs of patients and the office.
Iowa dentists have had the ability to train dental assistants chairside for years. This bill builds on this while providing greater flexibility to hire and retain dental assistants. While this bill will not solve all of the staff shortages dental offices face, it eliminates a barrier to entering the dental assisting profession.
Creating a Fairer Playing Field Through Insurance Reform
In 2024, we saw limits on the use of virtual credit cards and network leasing put into place. Building on last year’s success, during this session, we saw the passage SF 470, which ensures greater protections for dentists against prior authorization revocations, overpayment recoveries, and better notice when state laws apply to a patient’s dental plan. This bill was signed into law by Governor Reynolds on May 1.
A Year of Record Level Engagement
Your grassroots advocacy kept dental bills in front of legislators and pushed them forward. We saw record levels of dentists engaging with their legislators and chamber leaders this session.
- In January, we held our most successful IDA Day on the Hill with 15 dentists and 14 dental students present at the Iowa Statehouse to advocate for dentistry.
- Six Voter Voice Action Alert campaigns generated over 900 personalized email messages going out from more than 400 IDA members. Nearly every legislator in Iowa received at least one message!
- Numerous individual dentists reached out to their legislators throughout the session, helping advance our various priorities through grassroots efforts during the legislative session.
We ended this legislative session on a high note, encouraged by the energy our member dentists brought into the countless discussions held with legislators and stakeholders. Your notable presence this year highlights what we can achieve when dentists advocate on behalf of the profession and their patients.
See more from the IDA Day on the Hill 2025 by viewing the pictures on the IDA Facebook page.
2024 Legislative Session Recap
Dental Insurance Reform
Dental insurance reform is at the top of the list of IDA successes from the 2024 legislative session. The IDA dental insurance reform bill, HF 2400, marked the first time since 2010 the state of Iowa passed a dental insurance reform law. The bill addressed two issues dentists in Iowa face: network leasing and virtual credit cards. The new law requires dental insurers to make dentists aware of network leasing activity and provide the opportunity to opt-out without retribution by the contracting insurer. The law also requires insurers to offer alternative payment methods to virtual credit cards, such as checks or direct deposits.
Boards and Commissions
Another success was the Governor's Boards and Commissions bill, SF 2385. A section of the over 300-page bill initially recommended shrinking the size of the dental board from nine to seven members by removing one dentist and one public member from the board. Through persistent lobbying efforts by your IDA advocacy team, this section was removed from the final version of the bill that was signed into law, and the composition of the dental board has been preserved.
Dental Medicaid Rates
Unfortunately, despite continued advocacy efforts, the Health and Human Services budget, HF 2698, was largely status quo, with no increases for dental Medicaid services included. One important highlight from the budget bill is that the Hawki program continues to have strong legislative support, with a $2.6 million increase for the entire program included in the bill.
A highlight from the 2024 legislative session was another successful IDA Day on the Hill, with 10 dental students and seven dentists sharing their stories and experiences with legislators at the Iowa Statehouse. Much of the day was spent focusing on the IDA’s dental insurance reform efforts and increasing Medicaid rates, as explained above. Legislators resonated with the stories from our group, many sharing the frustrations providers have with network leasing, virtual credit cards, and the low Medicaid rates.
See more from the IDA Day on the Hill by viewing the pictures of the day on our IDA Facebook page.
2023 Legislative Session Recap
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The 2023 legislative session ended on Thursday, May 4, with the House and the Senate passing the final portions of the state's budget for SFY24, beginning in July. While we were not able to achieve a dental Medicaid increase, we had several areas of success and strides were made in educating lawmakers on the issues surrounding the practice of dentistry in Iowa.
A key success for dentistry was the passage of the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Licensure Compact, HF 656. The bill was signed by Governor Reynolds on April 27 (pictured above), making Iowa the first state to sign the compact into law. The compact will allow dentists and dental hygienists to obtain authorization to practice in states they are not licensed if that state is a part of the compact. The compact will go into full effect once four other states join Iowa, Tennessee, and Washington and sign the compact into law.
The 2023 session had its challenges. Among those was HF 149, which would have created a tax on all gross dental revenues in Iowa at one and one-half percent, with the funds collected going to the state's general Medicaid fund. The IDA lobbying team worked to ensure the bill did not move forward. Although the bill is eligible for debate in the 2024 legislative session, the quick efforts by the lobbying team have ensured the bill will not move forward.
Thank you to the dentists who helped our advocacy efforts this year. Whether you spoke to your legislator as a key contact, came to the Iowa Statehouse to speak about dentistry, or contributed to IDPAC, you helped to positively impact the dental profession.
2022 Legislative Session Recap
Governor Proclaims February 2022 Children's Dental Health Month in Iowa
In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, Governor Reynolds signed a proclamation declaring February 2022 Children’s Dental Health Month in Iowa. IDA, joined by the Iowa Department of Public Health, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Delta Dental of Iowa, Iowa Dental Board, Oral Health Iowa, Dental Connections, and the two dentists in the legislature Representative Dr. Steve Bradley and Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary, came together to celebrate the importance of oral health from an early age and witnessed the Governor signing the proclamation.
2021 Legislative Session Recap
2021 Marks a Big Year for Dentistry in the Legislature
Dentistry had a successful year at the Statehouse in 2021, with two IDA-sponsored bills signed into law by Governor Reynolds. Below is an update on the 2021 IDA Legislative Priorities upon the conclusion of the legislative session in May:
Hawki Dental Benefits
Priority: Maintain the existing Hawki dental program and benefits.
IDA's priority for this session was to maintain Hawki benefits within the existing program. With the passage of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Appropriations Bill, HF891, Hawki will be maintained at its current reimbursement levels for the next fiscal year.
Dental Wellness Plan & Medicaid Fee-for-Service
Priority: Increase DWP and FFS reimbursement to more closely align with Hawki rates, which will allow dentists to cover their costs and facilitate greater access throughout the state.
While the IDA asked legislators to increase dental Medicaid rates, HF891 set the reimbursement rates for Medicaid dental services to remain at current rates.
Do-It-Yourself Dentistry
Priority: Protect patients before they begin any orthodontia treatment.Beginning July 1, patients seeking orthodontic treatment, such as braces or aligners, will need to show proof of a dental examination within the previous six months or have a dental examination before beginning treatment.
This law signed by Governor Reynolds on Thursday, May 20 is designed to protect Iowans. “Beginning orthodontic treatment with undiagnosed or untreated gum disease, cavities, or other oral health conditions can lead to costly and permanent issues such as tooth loss or a crooked bite,” says Representative Steve Bradley, a dentist from Cascade, and a leading force behind the passage of the law proposed by IDA.
“This law ensures patients’ smiles are protected by requiring orthodontic treatment be preceded by a dental exam to catch any potential issues before it is too late,” stated Representative Tom Jeneary, a retired dentist from LeMars, who introduced and managed the bill.
Joining the IDA in supporting this law are the American Association of Orthodontists, SmileDirectClub, Delta Dental of Iowa, and the Iowa Dental Board.
Access to Care
Priority: Ensure patient safety by requiring licensed dentists to supervise all other oral healthcare providers.
Access to basic dental services is directly related to overall health. Lack of adequate oral healthcare can lead to the development of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease – which may result in expensive and avoidable emergency room visits. IDA strongly supports increasing access to care for vulnerable Iowans and is committed to collaborating with existing provider groups to achieve this goal. The best way to ensure patient safety and best outcomes is for licensed dentists – who undergo the most rigorous training in the field – to supervise all other oral healthcare providers. IDA also supports efforts to ensure dental offices in Iowa are fully staffed so they can provide quality dental care to Iowans.
Fluoridation Reporting Requirements
Priority: Require communities to inform their citizens before discontinuing water fluoridation.HF390 was signed by Governor Reynolds on April 30. This bill requires water systems to notify their customers 90 days prior to any action to permanently discontinue fluoridation. Notice will be provided on water bills or other means, allowing time for community dentists and consumers to contact the water system and local government regarding the decision to discontinue fluoridation.
IDA has drafted a letter template dentists may use to dissuade their community from discontinuing water fluoridation if proposed.
Increase State Funding for the Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) Program
Priority: Increase state funding for FIND from $100,000 to $500,000 for SFY22.The HHS Appropriations Bill, HF891, did not increase state funding for the program.
