(Des Moines) Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Departments of Education and Health and Human Services today announced they are seeking qualified applicants for the state’s new Health Care Professional Incentive Program, which is designed to recruit and retain medical professionals to meet health care demands in high-need counties across Iowa. A state investment of nearly $8 million is available for this first year of awards.
“This initial $8 million state investment is a critical step in strengthening our health care provider pipeline and ensuring rural communities, which are home to nearly half of all Iowans, have access to high-quality health care services,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “The new Health Care Professional Incentive Program supports our rural communities in improving access and quality care for residents while also easing the financial burden for individuals pursuing these essential, high-need health care careers.”
Established by House File 972, which was proposed by Gov. Reynolds and signed into law in May 2025, the Health Care Professional Incentive Program will provide financial awards to eligible health care professionals who commit to practicing in high-demand fields in underserved counties for up to five consecutive years for full-time employment and seven consecutive years for part-time employment. The deadline to apply is March 31.
“A strong health care workforce pipeline is essential to thriving communities, and the new Health Care Professional Incentive Program launched today will better support participating professionals with income bonuses or federal loan repayment as they care for Iowans,” said Iowa Department Education Director McKenzie Snow. “This modernized $8 million state investment helps prepare, recruit, and retain professionals in communities most in need of great providers, improving access and quality of care for all Iowans.”
Identified in coordination with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, eligible health care occupations include:
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner
Licensed Professional Counselor
Nurse Educator
Occupational Therapist
Physical Therapist
Physician Assistant
Physician
Registered Nurse
Social Worker (specific to mental health counseling)
In addition to serving in an eligible health care occupation, applicants must be licensed to practice and employed in one of the following 36 identified counties across the state: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Benton, Buena Vista, Butler, Carroll, Cedar, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Iowa, Keokuk, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mills, O’Brien, Osceola, Pocahontas, Ringgold, Tama, Taylor, Wayne, Winnebago and Worth.
“Attracting and retaining primary care physicians, nurses, licensed professional counselors and other vital health care professionals in our rural communities will significantly impact the ability of Iowans to access the care they need,” said Iowa Health and Human Services Director Larry Johnson. “Through this state investment, we can help ensure rural populations have access to quality health care in their local communities, improving the health outcomes of Iowans.”
Awardees may choose to receive the incentive as either an income bonus or as a federal student loan payment. The incentive will be distributed annually at the end of each year of qualifying employment, with awardees practicing full time receiving 25% of the maximum award after their first year of qualified employment, 15% after the second, third and fourth years and 35% of the award upon completion of the fifth year of employment. Awarded health care professionals who are working part-time will have a seven-year employment obligation and can receive prorated payouts for each of seven years.
The new program consolidates and streamlines five prior health care incentive programs into a single program to more effectively and efficiently deliver health care to Iowans. To be eligible, applicants must not have previously received funding from any of the state’s prior health care incentive programs, including the Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program, Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, Health Care Professional Recruitment Program, Health Care Award Program and the Mental Health Professional Loan Repayment Program.
More information about the Health Care Professional Incentive Program, including detailed eligibility criteria, award amounts and application instructions, is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s Health Care Professional Incentive Program webpage.
