Yesterday, MercyOne announced it will close its Ottumwa Family and Internal Medicine Clinic effective February 27, 2026. According to the Ottumwa Courier, patients will be forced to transfer their care to MercyOne Centerville Family Medicine — more than 40 miles away, adding nearly an hour of travel just to see a doctor.
The closure is the latest blow to health care access for Iowans, and comes after all of Iowa’s federal representatives voted for a budget bill that threatens health care for 106,700 Iowans and threatens rural hospitals. On top of that, Iowa’s privatized Medicaid system has led to a nearly 900% increase in illegal denials of care, forcing families to fight through endless red tape and bureaucratic headaches for care they should never have been denied. As governor, Rob Sand will take the next steps to reverse the privatization of Medicaid.
“The Ottumwa Family and Internal Medicine Clinic’s closure leaves a major community in Iowa with fewer options to see a physician, costs health care workers their jobs, and hurts the local economy,” said candidate for governor Rob Sand. “For many Iowa towns, especially rural ones, hospitals and clinics are the lifeblood of their communities. On top of that, the privatization of Medicaid has only made things worse, burdening our health care providers with more administrative costs and leading to higher costs for Iowans, and threatening rural hospitals. As governor, I’ll work to reverse the privatization of Medicaid and protect our rural hospitals.”
Iowa’s rural communities are facing a growing physician shortage — a recent report revealed that for at least the next twelve years, rural communities across the country will only have two-thirds of the primary care doctors they require, and 92% of rural counties are considered primary care professional shortage areas. The result is what we’re seeing now: fewer clinics, longer drives for care, and rural Iowans paying the price.
Iowa’s recent health care rankings continue to decline:
- Iowa ranks 44th in the nation for physicians per capita.
- Iowa ranks last in the nation for OB-GYNs per capita.
- Iowa is ranked number one for cancer growth in the nation.
- A recent report revealed that Iowa now ranks 48th in the nation for hospital safety.
- Iowa is the worst in the nation for psychiatric beds.
