Senator Jack Hatch is serving his second term in the Iowa Senate after winning re-election in November 2006.  He represents central Des Moines, which includes some of the highest and lowest income families in the state.

Senator Hatch is an Assistant Majority Leader and chair of the Health & Human Services Budget Subcommittee.  He also serves on the Economic Growth, Human Resources, State Government, Labor & Business Relations, and Appropriations committees.

Jack is committed to affordable, quality health care for all Iowans.  He helped create the Community Health Center Incubator Program and the Iowa Collaborative Safety Net Provider Network. 

Since 2007, Jack has led the Legislature’s comprehensive health care reform effort including a commitment to health care coverage for all Iowa children by 2011. He authored and floor managed HF 2539 in 2008 and SF 389 in 2009 that cemented the state government’s commitment to cover most children. As a result, Iowa should have the highest percentage of children covered of any state in the county at 99.9%. Together, the two pieces of legislation created one of the most comprehensive state reforms in the nation:

1. Created a soft parental mandate of families to enroll their eligible children into Medicaid and SCHIP or provide private insurance.

2. Created a “public or private” option insurance plan available for adults by July 1, 2010.

3. Present to the legislature a plan to allow non-state employees to participate in the state employee insurance pool.

4. Required all publicly funded plans (including state and local government plans) to include Medical Home care as a central focus of coordinating care.

5. Created a single statewide electronic health record council to coordinate and develop protocols for connecting all the hospitals to a single system.

6. Created public advisory councils to promote preventive care, wellness programs, chronic disease management and school nutrition programs.

7. Created a pilot program surrounding end of life care.

8. Created funding mechanisms to address workforce shortages in the health care industry.

9. Increased the techniques that improve the transparency of data that describes health care outcomes.

10. Created compensation programs for direct care workers and the emerging crisis in the health and long term care workforce.

He has received several awards for his work in championing children’s issues. In 2005, Orchard Place, a statewide child and family counseling agency, and the Coalition for Family & Children’s Services in Iowa both awarded Jack the Outstanding Legislator Award for his work on shepherding child welfare initiatives. 

For his involvement in health care, the Iowa-Nebraska Primary Care Association recognized Jack as the Underserved Champion of the Year in 2005.  For his work with the assisted living’ industry, he received the Outstanding Service Award from the Iowa Health Care Association in 2005 and in 2006.  In January 2007, he was awarded the "Outstanding Leadership Award" by the Polk County Medical Society.  In 2008, the Iowa Academy for Family Physicians recognized him with their "Leadership Award."

In 2008, Jack received several recognitions for his work on health care, these include the Iowa Academy for Family Physicians’ Leadership Award and the Iowa Health Care for All (SEIU) leadership award. In 2009, Jack was honored by the Iowa Dental Association Leadership Award, the Presidential Leadership Award from the Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association and the Public Health Official of the Year Award from the Iowa Public Health Association.

In 2003, he received the ‘Community Spirit Award’ from the Business Record publication. In 2003, he was awarded the Friends of Youth Award from the Youth Homes of Mid America, and in 2003 and 2005, the Protector of Children Award from Coalition for Family & Children’s Services in Iowa for his work to prevent child welfare budget cuts.

Jack served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993. In 1993, he accepted the position of State Director with U.S. Senator Tom Harkin.  He returned to the Iowa House after winning election in November of 2000.

In 1997, Jack founded the Hatch Development Group, a real estate development firm. His firm has completed three downtown affordable housing communities, the 56 unit apartment community called the Woodland Avenue Brickstone,the 115 unit East Village Square Apartments, and the 42 unit Stockbridge Apartments.  

He has completed six condominiums, called the Alchemilla, in the historic neighborhood of Sherman Hill, and his company recently renovated a historic commercial building, the Chamberlain, in the Gateway West Park of downtown Des Moines.  In 2008, HDG expended to Cedar Rapids.

Jack graduated from Drake University in 1972 with a BA degree and in 1973 with a Masters in Public Administration. Jack, his wife, Sonja Roberts,  live in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines. They have two daughters, Regan, 28, employed at Wells Fargo, and Caslon, 19, a sophomore at Columbia College in Chicago .