Iowans deserve access to quality health care, but every new health insurance mandate comes with a cost. When state government requires health plans to cover a particular service, treatment, provider or benefit, those costs do not disappear. They are ultimately reflected in higher insurance premiums and higher health care spending for individuals, families and employers.
 

Research from the Congressional Budget Office has found that state benefit mandates tend to increase premiums because insurers must account for the additional services they are required to cover. CBO estimated that, nationally, existing state benefit mandates increased premiums in the individual and small-group markets by approximately 2% to 3%. Iowa-specific research, while older, has also identified mandated benefits as a significant cost driver for small-business health coverage.
 

The question isn't whether these services have value. The question is who should decide what coverage is right for an individual or family, and who should pay for it. IAAHC believes consumers and employers should have more flexibility to choose coverage that fits their needs and budgets. Before adding another mandate, policymakers should carefully consider whether the benefit is already widely covered, how many Iowans will use it, what it will cost, and whether requiring every policyholder to pay for it is the best way to achieve the desired outcome.
 

IAAHC supports a more disciplined approach to mandates: evaluate the benefits, understand the costs, and put consumers in control. Affordable health insurance should give Iowans meaningful choices rather than continually adding requirements that make coverage more expensive.