Congress passed the Big Beautiful Bill last week and, included in the bill were funding cuts to Medicaid.
Siouxland Public Media reached out to Unity Point Health to see if passing the bill would impact the merger of UnityPoint Health and MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.
Danielle Fundermann, Marketing Communications with UnityPoint Health said, “the bill will not impact the transaction.”
UnityPoint Health officials in late May said they would acquire MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center. The two signed a letter of intent and said the merger would ensure that people continue to get health care services from respected medical providers.
Fundermann on Tuesday said she had no additional information concerning upcoming next steps to complete the merger.
*In related news, Last week Congress passed the big beautiful bill which includes funding cuts to medicaid.
Critics point out that Medicaid cuts can impact health care services at small clinics and hospitals including the Siouxland Community Health Center.
About 43% of patients that the Siouxland Community Health Center serves use Medicaid.
SCHC serves patients regardless if they are insured or not.
Matt Robins, Marketing Manager for Siouxland Community Health Center, told Siouxland Public Media, “We anticipate more of our patients will become uninsured and therefore need to utilize our sliding fee. That creates a huge financial burden on us because we already operate on slim margins. Nonetheless, we plan to continue serving our mission to the community, seeing all patients regardless of insurance status.”
Robins also said their financial counselors are ready to assist patients facing coverage challenges to explore other options including the sliding fee and that they have sufficient funds to weather the initial losses anticipated.
Medicaid cuts are scheduled to go into effect in 2028. In Iowa, the new Medicaid work requirements will go into effect April 1, 2026.
*In other news, Runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City is much lower than normal this year.
The drop is due to a dry winter and dry soil that absorbed most of the snow, leaving less water for rivers and reservoirs.
Additionally, Montana and North Dakota have experienced lower mountain snowpack which means less snow melt to replenish the rivers.
With less water flowing into the rivers and reservoirs US Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division are adjusting how much water is being released.
If river levels get too low, people may need to find other sources of water.
Eileen Williamson, US Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division Deputy Director of Public Affairs, told Siouxland Public Media, “Drought resilience is a shared responsibility. Communities make decisions to promote responsible water use.”
USACE Northwestern Division is being cautious and trying to save water since it’s hard to predict when rain will reach reservoirs.
