Charles Gaba is a health care policy wonk, advocate, and blogger who mixes data analysis with snark at ACASignups.net, where this article first appeared. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon, Spoutible, or X/Twitter.
Over the past couple of months I’ve compiled a master spreadsheet breaking out enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans (Qualified Health Plans and Basic Health Plans), Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage (both traditional and via ACA expansion) and Medicare (both Fee-for-Services and Advantage) at the Congressional district levels.
With the pending dire threat to several of these programs (primarily Medicaid and the ACA) from the federal budget proposal House Republicans approved in late February, I’m going a step further and am generating pie charts which visualize just how much of every Congressional district’s total population is at risk of losing health care coverage.
All four Republicans who represent Iowa in the U.S. House voted for the budget blueprint.
Click here to find the data sources and methodology explanation links.
First district numbers:
Second district numbers:
Third district numbers:
Fourth district numbers:
Statewide numbers:
3 Comments
Great Data Charles
So . . .
About 20 percent of Iowans receive health benefits from Medicare.
Almost 23 percent of Iowans receive benefits from Medicaid, Medicaid Expansion, CHIPS and Obamacare (ACA).
That’s a lot of Iowans.
In the big picture these programs make Iowa stronger.
It’s a caring country that ensures healthcare access to its citizens, to include children, the elderly and disabled.
When people have access to healthcare services, they go to the doctor. Illness and injury is managed sooner and at a lower cost. People miss less work.
Hospitals, physician clinics and other healthcare providers earn critical revenue. This helps ensure local access to an array of services and advanced technology.
That access benefits ALL of us, not just Medicare and Medicaid participants.
Hospitals and other healthcare providers employ lots of people. These are good jobs. Healthcare is a leading employer in most Iowa rural counties.
New doctors will not choose to practice in a state where hospitals and clinics do not have the financial stability to support their work.
Cutting Medicare, Medicaid and related programs place all these social benefits at a level of risk, particularly in rural areas.
Slashing these programs to free up cash for tax cuts for the affluent, as appears to be the plan, hurts Iowans.
The “trickle down” effect of tax cuts to the rich and business has been proven to be a hoax since the days of Ronald Reagan.
Contact your Senators and Representative in Congress. Insist that Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA be protected.
Contact your state representatives and ask them to send the same message to the federal reps.
If you don’t take action, these programs will be cut.
Bill Bumgarner Wed 19 Mar 9:38 AM
Honk if I'm paying for your health insurance
All govt programs should have zero based budgeting. Tired of the taxpayer always footing the bill for others. Some of the wasteful spending that DOGE has exposed is rather enlightening.
ModerateDem Wed 19 Mar 1:28 PM
The more I read about DOGE decisions...
…the more impressed I am by the truly dazzling levels of short-sightedness. We are going to pay a lot to try to undo just the economic damage that will result, and it won’t be possible in many cases. Good luck, as one example, trying to save the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry and its 75,000 jobs after what has been done to the invasive sea lamprey control program. Ditto to all the other ignorant DOGE decisions that will affect every state.
PrairieFan Wed 19 Mar 10:13 PM