The U.S. House has passed a budget that would eliminate approximately $700 billion from Medicaid, raising concerns of those who rely on the program.
Sioux City Councilmember Alex Watters told Siouxland Public Media, “unfortunately there are other quadriplegics and people with disabilities who have had to move into nursing homes or be institutionalized because they can’t get adequate home services.”
Watters said private insurance would not cover the home services that allow him to live independently, such as assistance getting in and out of bed, taking a shower, and dressing. The out of pocket costs, he says, would be prohibitively expensive.
“I require those essential services, that health care coverage to be able to pay for my day-to-day cares, just so I can get up and go to work which is providing more taxes to the State, which is spurring the economy, which it’s giving me a better quality of life.”
In 2023, 446,000 people were enrolled with medicaid in Iowa, 79,000 of those people were disabled.
In order to be put in place, the Medicaid cuts would also have to be passed in the U.S. Senate, which Watters hopes will not happen.
*Woodbury County government officials decided Tuesday to put off a decision on how to spend $1.2 million in borrowed money for the year ahead.
The biggest portion of the money used on larger capital projects will likely be for tearing down the former county jail in downtown Sioux City.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors pondered such projects as demolishing the old jail at a cost of $600,000, plus new technology equipment, painting in many departments, and paving upgrades for the campground at Little Sioux Park.
The supervisors decided they needed some more details on costs and other facets of some of the options, so they tabled the decision until the next weekly meeting on June 10.
The former jail on Seventh Street had many mechanical problems after being built in 1987.Building a new jail that opened in fall 2024 was determined by county officials to be the best route forward financially.
*Additionally, there is a statewide Air Quality Alert in Iowa through 6 a.m. Thursday, June 5.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday said the Air Quality Index could reach the red or unhealthy category in some areas of Iowa for a few days.
Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires was pulled down to the surface early Tuesday morning and levels in Northwest Iowa were measured in the unhealthy category into the afternoon.
Sensitive groups of people as well as the general public may experience health effects at this level.
Elevated levels of fine particules may be a concern over the next several days as the smoke continues to move through the state, the DNR release said.
*In other news, the Sioux Center Council members are looking for a new city manager, and in a Monday meeting they approved hiring a consulting firm to carry that out.
Earl Woudstra is planning to retire as city manager in January 2026. He became city manager in November 2019, on the heels of 20 year of being a council member in the Sioux County town,
Woudstra told Siouxland Public Media News that the goal is to hire a new administrator by November. Woudstra pointed to good Sioux Center growth through a supportive mayor and city council.
“As city administrator, I have especially enjoyed the role I have had in the area of quality of life for our residents. We have seen steady growth in commercial areas, housing developments, improvements to our education system, and amenities like trails and parks,” he said.
Woudstra also worked as a professor and coach at Northwestern College from 1989 to 2019.
*Republican State Representative Eddie Andrews has filed paperwork for a possible campaign for Iowa governor in 2026.
The statement of organization filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board is dated May 30th and creates a campaign committee called Eddie Andrews for Governor.
Andrews is serving his third term in the Iowa House representing the towns of Johnston and Urbandale.
Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra, former state representative Brad Sherman, and state senator Michael Bousselot have announced they’re running or exploring a run for the Republican nomination in the governor’s race.
State Auditor Rob Sand is running on the Democratic side, and a second Democrat on Tuesday announced she will run. Julie Stauch, of West Des Moines, has held campaign leadership roles for some Democratic presidential and senatorial candidates in Iowa over the last six years.
