Public Comments
When relevant legislation, regulations, guidance, and other opportunities to shape policy related to health services research arise, UnityPoint Health may decide it is appropriate to develop an official position. The UnityPoint Health Government & External Affairs department serves as the primary liaison for regulatory submissions in response to state and federal rule-making and public requests for information, as well as communications advocating changes in state and federal policy direction or strategic initiatives.
Federal Comments
Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model
Agency: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Date Submitted: February 9, 2026
This proposed rule offers revisions to the six-year mandatory Medicare payment model that aims to test whether performance-based incentive payments paid to or owed by participating kidney transplant hospitals increase access to kidney transplants for patients with end-stage renal disease while preserving or enhancing the quality of care and reducing Medicare expenditures.
- UnityPoint Health Comment Letter
- Alternative Payment Model Updates and the Increasing Organ Transplant Access (IOTA) Model Proposed Rule
CY 2027 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program
Agency: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Date Submitted: January 26, 2026
This annual proposed rule offers Contract Year 2027 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, and Medicare Cost Plan Program.
State Comments
No 2026 comment letters
Legislative Positions and Collaborative Sign-On Letters
Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act
Leading Organization: Senator Chuck Grassley
Audience: Public
In 2025, Senators Grassley (IA) and Bennet (CO) re-introduced the bipartisan Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act to improve access to life-saving care for children with complex medical conditions. The legislation simplifies out-of-state Medicaid screening and enrollment processes for pediatric care providers, while retaining key safeguards to preserve the integrity of the program. This legislation was included in a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding package. UnityPoint Health supported this legislation and was quoted in the Grassley press release celebrating its passage.
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Medicare Telehealth Provider Flexibilities
Leading Organization: Alliance for Connected Care
Audience: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
UnityPoint Health joined 150+ organizations in signing a Stakeholder Letter dated January 20, 2026, thanking CMS for permanently allowing Medicare-enrollment practitioners to report and bill using their enrolled physical practice location and working with stakeholders to develop an alternate method of determining location for the purposes of payment that does not require the reporting of a home address and alignment across agencies.
For Further Information:
Please email Cathy Simmons, Executive Director, Government & External Affairs.
Contact Us
UnityPoint Health
Government & External Affairs
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West Des Moines, Iowa 50266