An Iowa statehouse committee spent a lot of time hearing about what’s being called a massive change in how health care in Iowa is delivered to the poor and disabled. On January 1st, four private companies are scheduled to take over management of the state-federal health care program known as Medicaid which serves more than 560-thousand Iowans. Iowa Medicaid director Mikki Steir (MICK-ee STEER) is hearing not only from Medicaid patients, but from doctors, hospitals, clinics and mental health care providers who are trying to figure out the new system….
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Under the current program rules, hospitals, doctors and other providers are paid for the services provided. Starting January 1st, the state will pay a per-patient fee and some health care providers say they don’t yet know what that fee will be. Democrats on the committee tried to force a delay until July, but Republicans backed Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s plan to move ahead with the plan. Republican Representative Dave Heaton of Mount Pleasant accused Democrats of grandstanding…
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Senator Joe Bolkcom (BOWL-kum), a Democrat from Iowa City, says this same committee will meet again to review progress on the policy shift…
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And Bolkcom says there’s also a lawsuit that could derail the plan. Companies that lost out in the bidding process are challenging how the state chose the four winning companies.