Amendment to restore $225,000 for Volunteer Physician Network fails on roll call

Representative Bethan Polk moved amendment H8465 to restore a $225,000 appropriation for the Volunteer Physician Network, which she said is run out of Polk County and coordinates specialty care from roughly 500 volunteer physicians to serve about 4,000 Iowans annually.

Polk told colleagues that for roughly $225,000 a year the network coordinates over $12,000,000 in donated specialty care and that without that state funding the network would have to close. She said the network’s CEO, Paula Noonan, told her the organization has no viable backup plan and that the CEO would need to notify thousands of current and waiting patients if funding were discontinued.

Representative Meyer opposed the amendment, saying the line item covers only administrative costs paid to the Polk County Medical Society and arguing local fundraising or large-county support should cover those costs. Meyer also said she was reluctant to use taxpayer funds for a program that hires lobbyists to seek state dollars.

After closing remarks from Polk emphasizing the network’s limited fundraising (about $45,000 per year) and the potential patient-impact, the House ordered a division and a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded 24 ayes, 58 noes, and 18 absent or not voting; the amendment failed and was not added to the bill.

No formal direction to replace funding was made on the floor; debate centered on whether state support for the network’s administrative cost is an appropriate use of general-fund dollars.

The amendment’s failure left the underlying HHS appropriations bill intact as the chamber moved on to other amendments and final passage.