The University of Iowa Eight Over 80 Award

Professionally and personally, John Diehl has made an indelible impact while working for the common good. He pioneered the field of health law and health care legislation and further demonstrates his impassioned leadership through his service to the University of Iowa, his municipality, and nonprofits.

In Diehl’s 55-year career, he has accomplished several firsts, including the initial structure of HMOs and the assigned risk pool health insurance strategy. Diehl guided health policy development as a special assistant Minnesota attorney general and the first head of HMO regulation in the Minnesota Department of Health. From 1975 to 1983, he was the first general counsel for the University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics before joining Larkin Hoffman, a business law firm, to counsel leading hospitals, clinics, and insurers.

Diehl’s leadership includes founding the Minnesota State Bar Health Law Section, which later honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and creating and teaching the first health law course in the country. He has volunteered with the UI College of Law and contributed to its Class of 1969 Endowed Fund. Diehl spent more than 20 years on the boards of the American Cancer Society, Model Cities Health Center, and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, among others. He also chaired the health law section of an international legal consortium.

In 2007, Diehl moved to Lilydale, Minnesota, and joined the city’s planning commission and city council. In 2022, at 81, he was elected mayor and managed several projects during his term, including a flood emergency. He has authored a book about the American health care system, thereby furthering his mission to enhance the system and improve lives.