Miller-Meeks touts rural health investment while her votes to cut Medicaid still leave Iowa net negative on jobs and access to care

While Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks continues to celebrate Iowa receiving $209 million from the new Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), it continues to provide only short-term relief from the devastating cuts to health care she voted for. 

According to a June 2026 Commonwealth Fund analysis, the rural health investment will be completely eclipsed by far larger cuts that are and will continue to harm Iowa's economy and health care system. The Republican Tax Law that Miller-Meeks voted for will strip Iowa hospitals of an estimated $7-$12 billion over the next decade, making the $209 million that she brags about an insignificant gesture. Already, since the Republican Tax Law passed, a handful of rural Iowa clinics have announced closures, hospitals have made cuts to services and more hospitals are at risk of closing. 

Dr. Nourian, an Iowa physician, said that these Medicaid cuts don’t just impact the patients losing coverage or the communities losing local care facilities, they hurt everyone in the health care system. 

“When rural hospitals and clinics close or reduce services, those patients have to come to the urban areas like Des Moines or Iowa City. When that happens, wait times get longer for everyone, and things like specialty care get delayed longer and people get sicker. It is imperative that our Representatives know that decisions to cut programs like Medicaid are bad for all of us.”