This week, we take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to listen in on the "Medicaid and Hospitals" session from the 2025 Iowa Ideas conference hosted by The Gazette. 

Iowa hospitals are in a period of "uncertainty" as changes to Medicaid enacted as part of a sweeping tax and spending bill take effect. Is a fund allocating billions to some rural hospital losses easing concerns? What does this mean for the state’s rural providers? We’ll unpack the changes in Medicaid and what it means for Iowa’s hospitals and providers and how those changes might impact you. 

Iowa Ideas is a free virtual conference put on by The Gazette annually. Together, Iowans explore and share perspectives on the issues impacting the state. Watch replays from the 2025 conference at www.iowaideas.com.

This episode was hosted by Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy. The Iowa Ideas session was moderated by Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton. Gazette social video producer Bailey Cichon produced this episode.