Health care providers testified at the state capitol in Des Moines at a hearing on Iowa’s new privatized Medicaid program. The program is a combined operation with the federal and state health care system providing services for the poor and disabled. The leader of the A-B-C-M Corporation, Tim Roberts, talked about the issues with the 30 nursing homes his company operates.
Senator Joe Bolkom, a Democrat from Iowa City, made some comments after the providers testified.
The Medicaid managers say as many as 25 percent of claims are being denied, but they say that’s only slightly more than under the old system. They say the private companies are meeting their contractual obligations. Governor Terry Branstad’s office released what it says are new data that show Iowa’s Medicaid patients have more choice, access, and accountability under Medicaid Modernization than ever before.
