Bills › 91st General Assembly
Relating to the choice of doctor to treat injured employees under workers’ compensation laws and including effective date and applicability provisions
Sponsored by Sen. Tony Bisignano (D), Sen. Matt Blake (D), Sen. Molly Donahue (D), Sen. William A. Dotzler Jr. (D), Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D), Sen. Thomas Townsend (D), Sen. Zach Wahls (D), Sen. Cindy Winckler (D), Sen. Mike Zimmer (D)
Topics:Jobs & workers
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 26, 2025
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 27, 2025
- Stopped: Senate committeeDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: House committeeFunnel: by March 20, 2026
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
This bill relates to the choice of a physician to treat an injured employee under the state’s workers’ compensation laws. The bill allows the employer to choose care unless the employee has predesignated a physician as provided in the bill. The bill gives an employee the right to predesignate a physician who is a primary care provider, who has previously provided treatment to the employee and has retained the employee’s medical records, to provide treatment for a work-related injury. The employer is required to provide written notice to employees of this right upon hire, and periodically during employment, and upon receiving notice of an injury from an employee who has not yet predesignated a physician of the employee’s right to do so, in a manner prescribed by the workers’ compensation commissioner.
Read the full explanation
An employer or an employer’s insurer shall not coerce or otherwise attempt to influence an injured employee’s choice of a physician. If the employer fails to provide such notification, an injured employee has the right to choose any physician to provide treatment for the work-related injury and that treatment shall be considered authorized care. If the employer or employee is dissatisfied with the care chosen by the other party, the dissatisfied party should communicate the basis of dissatisfaction to the other party, in writing if requested, and the parties may agree to alternate care reasonably suited to treat the injury. If the parties cannot agree to such alternate care, the dissatisfied party may make an application for alternate care to the commissioner. The bill provides procedures for proceedings on such applications. The bill provides that if the employee has chosen care, when it is medically indicated that no significant improvement from an injury is anticipated, the employee may obtain a medical opinion regarding the extent of the employee’s permanent disability. If the employer believes that the evaluation of permanent disability obtained by the employee is too high, the employer has the right to obtain another medical opinion from a physician of the employer’s choosing. The bill takes effect and applies to injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2026.
From the explanation printed with the bill as introduced, written by the Legislative Services Agency. Amendments adopted later aren’t reflected. Full bill text
Senate subcommittee
Named February 27, 2025. It hasn’t reported yet.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Iowa Code it changes
Read from the bill as introduced. Each links to every bill touching that chapter of the Iowa Code. How the Code works
Lobbying
5 for · 0 against · 0 undecided · Who →
Family tree
Where this legislation came from and where it went: earlier tries, the versions it moved through this Assembly, and later bills built on it.
Tried before
91st General Assembly
Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title; check the text to be sure it’s the same idea.
Tried before
This idea has been filed in an earlier General Assembly. None got through a chamber.
- SF 365 Relating to the choice of doctor to treat injured employees under workers’ compensation la…90th General Assembly · In committee · same titleCleared committee
Matched by the wording of each bill’s explanation, or an identical title. Companion bills and renumbered versions of this bill aren’t listed; they’re the same bill.