November 1st marks the start of ACA open enrollment — and this year, it's one of the most unaffordable and uncertain periods we've seen. Republicans refuse to come to the table and extend subsidies that have made health care more affordable for 140,000 Iowans.

On Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith sat down with Chase Seibert and Liz Fleming to talk about how this is part of a bigger story of taking away resources form normal people.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
0:00 – ACA open enrollment starts November 1st: what you need to know
1:00 – Chase and Liz on being self-employed and relying on the ACA
3:00 – Why the ACA is a Band-Aid solution (but losing it makes things worse)
4:00 – Amber Gustafson's story: paying out of pocket before the ACA
6:00 – Republicans shut down the government over healthcare subsidies
7:30 – Premiums are jumping 114% when subsidies expire
9:00 – The false choice: "illegal alien healthcare" vs feeding kids

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157 Iowa school districts now depend on budget guarantees as public school enrollment drops 0.63% while nearly 28,000 kids use taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. That's 43 more districts on life support than before the pandemic, revealing how voucher programs and brain drain are systematically hollowing out Iowa's public education system.

On this segment of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down the enrollment crisis hitting Iowa communities.

Toss some bags at declining school enrollment... the coming loss of a historical archive in Iowa City... And how the 1986 Deere strike connects to today's tariff layoffs...

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
01:00 - Tim Conroy's Epic D&D Realtor Ad: Supporting Local Media Done Right
05:30 - Welcome to Cornhole Champions: Iowa's Education Crisis Begins
07:00 - The Shocking Numbers: 157 Districts on Budget Guarantee
08:30 - What Budget Guarantees Really Mean for Iowa Communities
09:30 - The Voucher Paradox: Funding Both Public AND Private Schools
10:30 - Why School Closures Devastate Entire Towns
11:30 - Moving 6th Grade Back: Desperate Strategy or Band-Aid Solution?
12:30 - Des Moines' Radical 10-Year Education Overhaul Plan

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
- YouTube - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
- Substack - https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
- Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
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... and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
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