Post by livelonger on Nov 19, 2016 5:36:00 GMT -5
"Since Branstad handed over the state health insurance program to private managed care companies on April 1, Iowans say they cannot visit their regular doctors or obtain prescriptions. They spend hours on the phone trying to obtain approvals for care and answers. Or they find out their new for-profit Medicaid insurer will not pay the bills for emergency care.
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Not being paid for services is a recurring theme in the stories told by health workers the past seven months. Smaller, nonprofit organizations are forced to borrow money or shut down. Among the latest casualties is a family planning clinic that has served Iowans for more than 40 years. On Nov. 3, the Marshalltown Times-Republican reported that Central Iowa Family Planning was closing its remaining offices in Grinnell and Marshalltown. The organization, which does not provide abortions, could not survive the governor’s Medicaid privatization.
“There are issues with payments and reimbursement levels, to the point that there is really nothing more we can do. They’ve killed us,” said executive director Mandi Beeghley.
...
Then there are the private insurers now managing Iowa's $4.6 million Medicaid program. They negotiated contracts with the state intended to cover the cost of care while allowing them to pocket millions of dollars for administration. Last month, Iowa taxpayers suddenly learned they would be forking over an additional $33 million to the companies this fiscal year.
On Nov. 4, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that the chief financial officer of Anthem, Amerigroup’s parent company, indicated the bump in public dollars was not enough.
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/11/17/editorial-branstads-medicaid-not-working-iowa/93927240/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
...
Not being paid for services is a recurring theme in the stories told by health workers the past seven months. Smaller, nonprofit organizations are forced to borrow money or shut down. Among the latest casualties is a family planning clinic that has served Iowans for more than 40 years. On Nov. 3, the Marshalltown Times-Republican reported that Central Iowa Family Planning was closing its remaining offices in Grinnell and Marshalltown. The organization, which does not provide abortions, could not survive the governor’s Medicaid privatization.
“There are issues with payments and reimbursement levels, to the point that there is really nothing more we can do. They’ve killed us,” said executive director Mandi Beeghley.
...
Then there are the private insurers now managing Iowa's $4.6 million Medicaid program. They negotiated contracts with the state intended to cover the cost of care while allowing them to pocket millions of dollars for administration. Last month, Iowa taxpayers suddenly learned they would be forking over an additional $33 million to the companies this fiscal year.
On Nov. 4, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported that the chief financial officer of Anthem, Amerigroup’s parent company, indicated the bump in public dollars was not enough.
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/11/17/editorial-branstads-medicaid-not-working-iowa/93927240/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=