Iowa Governor Terry Branstad says the reports aren’t ready yet, but his decision to have the state pay three private companies to manage care for Iowa’s 560-thousand Medicaid patients is saving the state “significant” money.https://soundcloud.com/wnax-radio/tb-822a
*
Branstad confirmed an Associated Press report that during April and May, the three for-profit companies now managing Iowa’s Medicaid program were not fined for making late payments to Iowa health care providers. Some Democratic legislators have questioned that decision, but the governor says it made sense to waive those fines during the transition.
*
Branstad says he’s getting “good reports” about the new system. Under the old system, Branstad says it wasn’t easy to detect Medicaid fraud among Iowa doctors, hospitals and other health care providers.
*