QANDA: THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR HEALTHCARE COVERAGE

The following information was released by Iowa Senator Charles Grassley :

With U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley

Q: When is Medicare's open enrollment season?

A: More than 700,000 Iowans are enrolled in Medicare for their healthcare coverage. From Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, Iowans have the opportunity to review and change their enrollment for the upcoming year in Prescription Drug plans (Part D), Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), change between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplement insurance (Medigap). The Iowa Insurance Division recommends beneficiaries carefully review changes in coverage and insurance plans to ensure their selection best suits their needs in the year ahead. Iowans have access to 64 Medicare Advantage plans, nine stand-alone Medicare Part D plans, and 12 standardized Medigap plans for 2027.

Take the time to do some homework and compare plans. Iowans can use the Medicare Plan Finder at https://www.medicare.gov/plan-compare. For help navigating the choices in Medicare coverage, Iowans may contact the Iowa Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). The Iowa SHIIP office can be reached by phone at 1-800-351-4664 (TTY 800-735-2942) or by e-mail at shiip@iid.iowa.gov. SHIIP has published Medicare resource website at this address: https://shiip.iowa.gov/.

Iowans should also check to see if they're eligible for Medicare Savings and Extra Help programs that assist seniors with limited income with healthcare costs, including their medications. You can learn more about these programs and eligibility at https://www.medicare.gov/basics/costs/help.

When I chaired the Senate Finance Committee, I steered through Congress legislation that created the first-ever prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries. For the last two decades, I've worked to ensure Medicare Part D works as Congress intended to provide more choice and better value to those who choose to participate. I'll continue pushing to get cost-saving prescription drug bills to the president's desk that hold pharmaceutical companies and the middlemen in the drug supply chain called Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) accountable.

Q: How did the 2025 tax law expand healthcare options for consumers?

A: More than 10 million Americans are now eligible for expanded benefits and access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). These tax-advantaged accounts allow consumers to save for qualified medical expenses and stretch their hard-earned dollars. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act paved the way for more Americans to benefit from HSAs.

These pro-patient changes include:

Making health insurance plans which cover telehealth and remote care services HSA-eligible, and permanently allowing coverage of certain telehealth services before the deductible is met.

Allowing enrollees in bronze and catastrophic Federal Marketplace plans to contribute to an HSA.

Enabling qualified individuals to contribute to an HSA while participating in a direct primary care service (DPC) arrangement, which allows patients to pay a flat recurring fee for routine care. Prior to this change in law, consumers were prohibited from using HSA funds to pay for this service.

Expanding access to Health Savings Accounts is a game changer that puts consumers in the driver's seat. I've championed this pro-patient, pro-provider policy for nearly 30 years. Today more than 30 million Americans have an HSA with an average balance of more than $3,000. It encourages responsible utilization of healthcare services with lower-cost insurance and greater flexibility of care. Now, for the first time, consumers can use their HSA to pay for a membership-based model of care that's expanding across Iowa. It puts the patient and their medical provider at the center of care instead of insurance companies and middlemen. Direct provider arrangements enable providers to spend more time with a patient and less time dealing with paperwork and insurance approvals.

Keeping access to healthcare close to home is a public policy priority for the well-being of Iowa families, economic development and community vitality. I meet regularly with healthcare professionals across the state that informs my work on behalf of Iowans. I'm pleased the Rural Health Transformation Program the Republican-led Congress enacted in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act is investing directly in local hospitals and clinics across Iowa to expand maternal and child health, recruit providers, treat chronic disease and boost cancer care. Iowa has received $209 million in the first year of this five-year program. I led the entire Iowa congressional delegation urging the Trump administration to support Iowa's funding request for the coming year to expand Healthy Hometowns across our state.