Iowa 2023-2024 Regular Session

Iowa House Bill HF2391

Introduced
2/8/24  
Engrossed
2/27/24  
Introduced
2/8/24  
Refer
2/28/24  
Engrossed
2/27/24  

Caption

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, including the statewide maximum allowable charges schedule applicable to nursing services provided by health care employment agency workers, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.(Formerly HF 2199.)

Impact

One significant aspect of HF2391 is the mandate for the department to publish a maximum allowable charges schedule annually, ensuring that the rates charged by employment agencies for nursing services do not exceed a certain percentage of the average wages within the state. This aims to regulate the cost of hiring agency workers, thereby protecting health care entities from exorbitant charges that could affect their operational budgets. Additionally, the requirement for health care agencies to maintain compliance with licensing and professional standards is intended to enhance the quality of care provided at health care facilities.

Summary

House File 2391, known as HF2391, establishes regulations for health care employment agencies in Iowa. This legislation creates a framework for the registration and operation of such agencies, particularly those providing nursing services. Under HF2391, health care employment agencies must register annually with the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) and adhere to a statewide maximum allowable charges schedule for nursing services provided by agency workers. The bill delineates the penalties associated with non-compliance, including revocation of registration and monetary fines based on specific violations.

Contention

Notably, the bill includes strict penalties for violations committed by health care employment agencies, which has generated discussions around fairness and the operational impact on smaller agencies. For instance, the bill enforces severe penalties for agencies that provide workers with fraudulent credentials or fail to comply with registration requirements. Critics argue that these stringent measures might inadvertently create barriers for smaller agencies trying to compete in the labor market, while proponents believe they will elevate accountability and maintain industry standards.

Companion Bills

IA HF2199

Similar To A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, including the statewide maximum allowable charges schedule applicable to nursing services provided by health care employment agency workers, providing penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.(See HF 2391.)

Previously Filed As

IA HF2199

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, including the statewide maximum allowable charges schedule applicable to nursing services provided by health care employment agency workers, providing penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.(See HF 2391.)

IA HF357

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, health care employment agency workers, and health care entities, providing for the use of annual registration fees, and including retroactive applicability provisions. (Formerly HSB 24.) Effective date: 07/01/2023. Applicability date: 01/01/2019.

IA SF327

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, health care employment agency workers, and health care entities, providing for the use of annual registration fees, and including retroactive applicability provisions.(Formerly SSB 1044.)

IA HSB24

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, health care employment agency workers, and health care entities, and including retroactive applicability provisions.(See HF 357.)

IA SSB1044

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, health care employment agency workers, and health care entities, and including retroactive applicability provisions.(See SF 327.)

IA HF2698

A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations for veterans and health and human services, including other related provisions and appropriations including but not limited to the personal needs allowance for certain persons under Medicaid and the state supplementary assistance programs, replacement generation tax revenues, the Medicaid fraud and health care trust funds, the retention of certain revenues by the mental health institutes, the retention of Medicaid eligibility by residents of mental health institutes, the scope of services of the state resource centers, the appropriation of moneys in the juvenile detention home fund, the family investment program account and diversion program, the child support collection services center refund account, the quality assurance assessment payment period, the centers of excellence grant program, an assisted living program revised payment model study, funding for county commissions of veteran affairs, foster care provisions including those relating to a relative or fictive kin, health care employment agencies and health care technology platforms, medical cannabidiol practitioner requirements, nursing facility oversight, and state-funded psychiatry residency and fellowship positions, providing penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions. Effective date: 05/09/2024, 07/01/2024. Applicability date: 07/01/2022, 07/01/2023.

IA HF144

A bill for an act relating to rural emergency hospitals, including licensing requirements and fees, making penalties applicable, providing emergency rulemaking authority, and including applicability and effective date provisions.(Formerly HF 13.)

IA HF612

A bill for an act relating to care and choices at the end of life, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.

IA HF533

A bill for an act relating to care and choices at the end of life, providing penalties, and including effective date provisions.

IA SF2304

A bill for an act relating to oversight for long-term care facilities, providing penalties, making an appropriation, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

Similar Bills

IA HF2199

A bill for an act relating to health care employment agencies, including the statewide maximum allowable charges schedule applicable to nursing services provided by health care employment agency workers, providing penalties, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.(See HF 2391.)

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