Iowa Compass to offer quarterly webinars

Iowa Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) warns that advancements in AI and technology have made scammers increasingly dangerous, worsening the impact of Medicare fraud on older adults. Medicare open enrollment runs from October 15 through December 7, and scammers are actively targeting Medicare beneficiaries with fake plan offers, phishing texts, and impostor calls. Common scams are:

• “New Medicare Card” Offer: Scammers claim to call from Medicare offering a new plastic or chip-enabled Medicare card. FACT: Medicare cards do not expire and are not being replaced with plastic or chip-enabled cards. And Medicare does not provide cards with “special” benefits.
• Threats of Coverage Cancellation: Callers threaten to cancel benefits unless personal information or Medicare numbers are provided. FACT: Medicare representatives will never cold-call, text or email demanding personal details.
• “Too Good to Be True” Benefits: Advertisements or solicitors promising cash cards, free medical equipment, or dramatic coverage upgrades in exchange for your Medicare number. To review options or change your Medicare coverage, navigate directly to Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit our the SHIIP website.

To read more, go to Iowa Insurance Division Press Release.

The Medicare open enrollment period (OEP) is coming up from October 15- December 7. This is the annual opportunity for all Medicare beneficiaries to review their Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription plan changes for the year ahead and compare options for enrollment starting January 1.
For more information, please go to Iowa HHS Open Enrollment Period.

There will be no more “self-employed” CDAC providers registering with HHS as of December 31, 2025. CDAC is Consumer Directed Attendant Care and is the service of in-home Personal Care. CDAC is a service covered by all HCBS waivers except the Children’s Mental Health waiver. CCO will remain an option as will “agency” CDAC for the waivers that currently offer CDAC.

For more information, visit Individual Consumer Directed Attendant Care (ICDAC) Transition | Health & Human Services

Several code changes took place on January 1, 2026 related to HCBS Waiver. Please see the Desk Resource HCBS Waiver Service code updates for more information.

Some Iowans may lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program coverage starting November 1. If this affects you, here are some resources to help: Visit the Iowa HHS Emergency Food Assistance page and use the Food Bank Service Area map and resources to find food banks and mobile pantries in your county.

Visit 2-1-1 Iowa to search for local food pantries or mobile food pantries by entering your ZIP code.

DoorDash Emergency Food Response Program is waiving delivery and service fees for eligible SNAP customers from participating grocery stores.