Meeting Public Comments

Jennifer Leonhard []

I support SF 506. Birth Care options and Mental Health services are OBVIOUSLY needed in Iowa and requiring a certificate of need when the need is so apparent is frankly ridiculous. We must eliminate the CON to create more viable options instead of requiring people to travel for care or be on a waiting list. We must eliminate the Healthcare monopoly in these areas.

Deb Schult []

The healthcare monopoly supported by Certificate of Need needs to be reformed.Encouraging competition in every service raises the bar and provides options for consumers. Healthcare should not be an exception to marketplace competition. I believe this will also bring a reduction in costs as competition increases.

Rachel Bruns []

Iowa is in the minority of states that require a certificate of need for birth centers (less than 15 states). Among nearby states, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin do not require a certificate of need for birth centers. Iowa currently has 0 freestanding birth centers due in part to the burden of going through the CON process.The 2019 Strong Start report confirmed that birth centers deliver improved health outcomes at a lower cost, averaging 21 percent lower cost of birth and 15 percent lower cost for care for women and infants for the first year after birth.The Institute for Medicaid Innovations 2020 report on Improving Maternal Health Access, Coverage, and Outcomes in Medicaid indicated that midwifeled careincluding in freestanding birth centersresults in improved care, better outcomes, and costs less.The 2023 CMS Transforming Maternal Health model released by Medicaid in December 2023 prioritizes increasing access to midwives and freestanding birth centers.While I support Senate File 506 for removing birth centers from CON, I am concerned about the amendments related to birth centers, added at the request of hospital lobbyists. The amended bill requires the Department of Inspection, Appeals, and Licensing to create a provisional birth center licensure and proposed birth center licensure legislation the following year. Any proposed birth center licensure should be developed with input from experts like those at the American Association of Birth Centers and without interference from the medical lobby, which has long kept Iowans from accessing birth center and midwifery care.

Megan Gile []

I support SF 506. As a woman in Iowa I have the right to choose where I give birth and we NEED more options!

Katherine Bryden []

I support removing the Certificate of Need requirement for birth centers. The CoN is an onerous and unnecessary requirement that stifles choice for Iowa families when deciding where to access maternity care. Birth centers should be included in our states maternity care landscape and can be a safe alternative to hospitals in areas that are maternity care deserts.