2025 Public Comments

Wisconsin 12-Month Postpartum Extension

Leading Organization: 12-Month Postpartum Extension coalition

Audience: Wisconsin Assembly

UnityPoint Health-Meriter signed on to a Coalition Memo sent to Assembly members to urge their support of 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage. Wisconsin is one of only two states that does not provide this coverage. Presently pregnant women who are eligible for Medicaid have coverage only through the end of the month in which their 60-day postpartum period ends. Meriter houses the largest birthing center in the state of Wisconsin.

Rural Hospital Support Act

Leading Organization: Senator Chuck Grassley

Audience: Public

Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) re-introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act (S. 335) with Senator. Peter Welch (VT). This legislation would permanently extend the Medicare-dependent Hospital (MDH) and Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) designations and establish a new rebasing year for Sole Community Hospitals (SCH) and MDHs. This specifically impacts UnityPoint Health hospitals in Fort Dodge, Marshalltown and Muscatine. UnityPoint Health supports this legislation and are impacted hospitals are quoted in the Senator Grassley’s press release.

Medicare Telehealth Services

Leading Organization: Alliance for Connected Care

Audience: Congressional Leadership

UnityPoint Health signed on to a Stakeholder Letter, along with nearly 350 other organizations, urging Congressional leadership to take action in March to establish permanent or long-term access to telehealth. Many Medicare telehealth services are set to expire without Congressional action. Continuing telehealth services provide certainty for Medicare beneficiaries, bolster the healthcare workforce, encourage ongoing investment in technology tools and infrastructure, and allow health plans and employers to leverage telehealth in their benefit offerings.

Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act

Leading Organization: Congressman Randy Feenstra

Audience: Public

Congressman Randy Feenstra (IA-4) introduced the bipartisan Audio-Only Telehealth Access Act with Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH). This legislation makes Medicare’s coverage of audio-only telehealth services permanent. The current waiver – which is set to expire on March 31, 2025 – allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reimburse healthcare providers for patient evaluation, patient management, and behavioral health services over the phone. UnityPoint Clinic supports the continuance of this important service mode for our patients and is included in Congressman Feenstra’s press release.