ICYMI: Grassley, Miller-Meeks Op-Ed: Republicans Are Expanding Access to Primary Care in Iowa

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote an op-ed published in The Hawk Eye highlighting how Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Act is expanding access to primary care in communities across Iowa. The lawmakers specifically highlight improved access to a new and growing field of medicine called direct primary care (DPC).

Republicans worked hard to pass the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, preventing the largest tax increase in American history and putting more money back into the pocketbooks of seniors and families. The law also expanded access to primary care in communities across Iowa. As a result, Iowa families have better access to a new and growing field of medicine called direct primary care (DPC). 

DPC is a locally delivered, patient-centered model of care that puts patients and their doctors, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners at the center of health care, rather than insurance companies and middlemen.

DPC was enabled under state law in 2018 and further protected in 2026. Now, thanks to the Republican Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Iowa families can use their health savings accounts (HSAs) to improve access to primary care.

DPC is a simpler way to get routine physicals, urgent care, and other primary care services. Patients pay a monthly subscription and get access to a primary care provider of their choice. Through this relationship, patients can communicate directly with their provider and typically get same-day or next-day service instead of waiting days or weeks to get care. Patients establish a relationship with a health care provider and utilize their services as often as they want without paying more.

Thanks to the new tax law, families can use tax-free money, through their HSA or flexible spending account (FSA), to pay for a membership-based model of care that lets them choose a primary care provider of their choice and gain access to a suite of care options under this direct primary care service arrangement. 

More health care providers are turning to DPC because it allows them to spend more time with patients and less time dealing with paperwork and insurance company approvals. Across Iowa, direct primary care providers are opening their doors and growing in rural communities and suburban areas. 

When patients have access to timely and high-quality primary care, they have better health outcomes and live longer.

Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, more Iowa families can access direct primary care and get the timely care they need.

To read the op-ed from Rep. Miller-Meeks and Sen. Grassley Click HERE.