University of Iowa Hospitals to cut $25 million

University of Iowa Hospitals will cut spending by $25 million over the next eight months to balance its budget. A hospital administrator told the Iowa Board of Regents during a meeting in Ames this week that expenses are up 16.5% from last year and 2% over budget. The increased costs were, in part, the result of hiring more staff to work in expanded units, such as the neonatal ICU, and a rise in indigent patients, for whom the hospital doesn't get reimbursed from the state. In addition, Iowa Care, a program for low-income people without health insurance, saw an increase of 11.4% in enrollment from June 30 to Sept. 30.