Republican candidate for Iowa governor Randy Feenstra said lowering health care costs is one of his top priorities if elected, and he said he is “working very diligently” in Congress to address health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Feenstra is currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he sits on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. He announced in October he would run for governor in 2026.
At a Friday, Nov. 21, meet and greet in the East Village of Des Moines, Feenstra said Iowans need to see lower health care costs.
“This has been the hot topic obviously in D.C.,” he said. “But we’ve got to do something about it. Currently, I sit on Ways and Means. We’re talking about how we change and how do we lower premiums. This has got to get done. We’ve got to do the same thing in the state. And then make sure it’s quality, accessible, and affordable.”
Feenstra again referenced the high cost of health care as he addressed a question about making the cost of living more affordable.
“We’ve got to make sure we lower the premiums of health care,” he said. “You talk about the two biggest things, the two costliest things of small business and families, it’s usually health care and it’s usually property tax, things that they’ve got to pay. That’s got to happen.”
Democrats in Congress have pushed for an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year and drive a major spike in health care premiums.
The original tax credits that were part of the ACA will still exist, but the subsidies enhanced in 2021 under President Joe Biden’s administration that expanded eligibility and lowered income contribution caps would go away.
The issue was at the center of the federal government shutdown, which Feenstra called “shameful,” as Republicans refused to extend the subsidies. But a group of Senate Democrats relented and voted with Republicans Nov. 10 to end the shutdown without an extension.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, has promised to hold a vote in December on a plan to extend the subsidies, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has not not committed to a similar vote in his chamber.
But Democrats say it’s too little, too late. Without prior action, Iowa insurance carriers have already filed 2026 rate increases ranging from 12.5% to more than 25%.
Affordability and the rising cost of living is likely to be a major issue campaign issue as candidates gear up their 2026 campaigns.
“We had multiple meetings this past week in Ways and Means to figure out what we can do to change the way that we pay to lower premium costs for individuals,” Feenstra told reporters after the event.
He said there are some “exciting proposals” being discussed, but he favors those that would give money directly to consumers to lower premium costs.
“So that’s what we’re looking at right now,” he said.
Republican President Donald Trump told congressional Republicans in a Nov. 18 social media post Nov. 18 not to “waste” their time working out an extension for the enhanced ACA tax credits. The president said he would approve only a measure that would send money “directly back to the people,” but it was unclear how such a plan would work.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, has floated a proposal in line with Trump’s favored approach that would replace ACA premium tax credits with prepaid health savings accounts, funded partially with money from lapsed tax credits. People who sign up for a Bronze Plan, one of the tiers of coverage in the marketplace with lower premiums and higher deductibles, would be given money in an HSA account.
Feenstra said he’s hopeful Congress can come to a resolution before the existing enhanced subsidies expire at the end of the year.
“We understand how important it is to the family and to small businesses that we’ve got to get it done,” he said. “We’ve got to come up with a solution, and that’s our goal.”
Feenstra is one of five Republicans competing in the GOP gubernatorial primary. State Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen are also running.
State Auditor Rob Sand and political consultant Julie Stauch are competing in the Democratic primary.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Randy Feenstra favors ‘direct’ payments to help lower health care costs
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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