Iowa Governor Terry Branstad says he is not going to promise Medicaid patients that if they like their doctor, they can keep their doctor in the New Year….
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The Branstad Administration aims to shift Medicaid to a “managed care” system on March 1st. It means the 560-thousand Iowans who get health insurance coverage through the government’s Medicaid program will have to ensure their doctor, hospital, nursing home or other health care provider is part of one of the three managed care networks…
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Branstad’s initial goal was to start switching Medicaid patients to a managed care system on January 1st, but federal officials last week ruled there was too much chaos and ordered a 60-day delay. Branstad says he’s confident his staff will be able to meet all the benchmarks federal officials established so the switch can start March 1st.