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Iowa’s expansion of Medicaid has increased access to health care for thousands. These latest census findings set a baseline for an evaluation of the impact of privatization of Medicaid that Governor Branstad imposed this year.

The path to advancements in education, economic stability and environmental stewardship — as well as other critical areas where strong public policy and institutions are necessary — rests on strong, strategic investments.

The Battelle Report raises only the business perspective on economic development. More Iowans need an invitation to the table.

Over half the jobs in Iowa pay less than what is needed by many families to achieve basic self-sufficiency. Work support programs are important — but “cliffs” in those programs can send a family’s total resources plummeting with even a small increase in income.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (September 18, 2014) — More Iowans remained in poverty four years after the recession than before, new data from the Census Bureau showed Thursday. 
The American Community Survey (ACS) indicated that 12.7 percent of Iowans — about Read more

Eligibility reforms can assure that child care assistance helps families who are still well below the income level needed to support basic needs.

The surest pathway into the middle class is post-secondary education. Yet significant barriers stand between a low-wage worker and better education or a degree.

“Whether you’re looking at jobs, or income, or poverty, or food insecurity, we simply have not caught up with where we were before the Great Recession.”

“Iowans are less likely to receive health insurance through their jobs, a trend we have seen for some time, while private insurance has become increasingly costly.”

The CEO wanted to be a job creator, but discovered his board of directors and shareholders wanted him to focus on profits, which meant hiring as few people as possible. Workers, it seemed, could be a pain.