Southeast Iowa health care providers and experts will discuss how upcoming rule changes to Medicaid health may affect area patients and facilities at a Fairfield forum on Sunday, January 25.

The program, organized by nonprofit advocacy groups the Rural Restoration Project and Jefferson County Indivisible, will be 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cambridge Learning Center on the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 2602 W. Burlington Ave.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July 2025, includes numerous changes to Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income Americans. The bill is expected to cut Medicaid costs by almost $900 billion over the next decade. The largest part of those cuts is expected to come from a rule requiring states to verify recipients’ work status at least once every six months. The provision, which takes effect January 1, 2027, requires Medicaid recipients to prove they worked at least 80 hours per month unless they meet one of several exemption criteria. The rules apply to those who received Medicaid when eligibility for the program was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that most of the expected savings will come from people dropping out of Medicaid, with an estimated 4.8 million losing health insurance by 2034. That includes 69,000 Iowans, many in rural areas, according to projections from KFF, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health care research organization.

Those cuts could represent significant income losses for small rural hospitals, most of which serve large Medicaid-dependent populations. The program provides as much as a quarter of receipts for some facilities. Confirmed speakers include:

• Kerri Rupe, Ph.D., an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) and professor emerita at the University of Iowa School of Nursing.
• Jacob Dobbs, director of Emergency Medical Services for Henry County.
• Kyla Yates, ARNP at Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua. Yates previously worked as a certified nursing assistant and nurse manager at a local nursing home, where she oversaw meeting Medicaid and Medicare requirements for reimbursement.
• Former Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson, retired chief executive of River Hills Community Health Center and former Iowa Department of Health and Human Services employee.

Each speaker will make a brief statement before taking questions. Leaders from Iowa Senate District 44, which includes Keokuk, Jefferson, Van Buren and Henry counties and part of Mahaska County, founded the Rural Restoration Project to build economic and social opportunities in the area through education and advocacy.

Jefferson County Indivisible is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting a healthy democracy in partnership with the national Indivisible movement.

Four Mount Pleasant students have been selected to perform with the Southeast Iowa Honor Band.

The students were chosen during auditions hosted Saturday in Fairfield by the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association, where students in grades 7 through 12 from across Southeast Iowa competed for spots in the regional honor band.

Selected from Mount Pleasant Middle School are seventh grader Peter Shroyer on trombone and eighth grader Karen Liu on flute. From Mount Pleasant High School, sophomore Carly Mullin was selected on bass clarinet, along with senior Caden Goetsch on baritone saxophone.

The students will perform with the Southeast Iowa Honor Band on Saturday, January 24th, at the Voxman School of Music on the University of Iowa campus.

KILJ congratulates these Mount Pleasant students on their achievement and the hard work that earned them a place in the honor band.

Inpatient labor and delivery services at the Birthplace at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison will end after December 31, 2026.

Great River Health announced Thursday that those services will be expanded at the Women and Family Center at its West Burlington campus as part of a system-wide realignment of maternal care.

The change coincides with the upcoming retirement of Dr. Timothy Staudte, the sole obstetrician at the Fort Madison Women’s Health Clinic. Staudte has served the community for more than 21 years and plans to retire to pursue mission work with his church.

To maintain access to maternal services amid ongoing workforce shortages, Great River Health will expand its hub-and-spoke care model, which centralizes labor and delivery services at a primary location while continuing prenatal and postnatal care through local outpatient clinics. That model is already in place at Henry County Health Center and will be extended to Fort Madison by the end of 2026.

Under the plan, Women’s Health services in Fort Madison and at the Keokuk Clinic will continue and be strengthened with additional providers, including nurse midwives. Dr. Staudte will continue to care for obstetric patients with expected deliveries before the end of 2026 and will see new gynecology patients throughout the year.

Great River Health notes that efforts to recruit a replacement OB-GYN have been unsuccessful, reflecting a nationwide shortage. Iowa currently ranks last in the nation for OB-GYNs per capita.

A public forum to discuss the transition is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Administrative Conference Rooms at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison. The public is invited to attend.

Read the full press release from Great River Health here.

TDT CPAs and Advisors is marking 50 years in business as the firm approaches its anniversary later this month.

Founded January 17, 1975, TDT has grown from two offices to six locations across Iowa, with offices in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Centerville, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant, and Oskaloosa. The firm now employs 35 professionals and provides tax, accounting, and wealth management services to clients across eastern and southeastern Iowa and nationwide.

Partner Jodi Kerr says the milestone reflects the trust of long-time clients and the firm’s commitment to personalized service. TDT is also part of a nationwide alliance with CLA, giving clients access to additional technical expertise while maintaining a local approach.

Click here to read the full press release. Congratulations to TDT CPAs and Advisors on this milestone!