Ragan Report

Iowa is not ready for Medicaid transition
     This week, I was part of a group that submitted a letter to President Barack Obama and other federal officials about our growing, heartfelt concerns over Gov. Terry Branstad’s unilateral decision to privatize Iowa’s Medicaid program.
     We appreciate the decision by federal officials in December to delay implementation of Medicaid privatization until March 1. It’s clear they recognized that the governor’s administration was trying to do too much, too fast and failing to protect Iowans.
     But Iowa still isn’t ready. Since the delay by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) more than 40 days ago, we have seen no evidence that the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise and the out-of-state companies picked to help privatize Medicaid have taken the steps necessary to ensure the health and wellbeing of more than 560,000 Iowans.
     The concerns CMS expressed about Iowa’s Medicaid privatization in December are equally valid today. They include:
     · Arbitrary and unrealistic implementation timeline;
     · Failure to establish adequate provider networks in advance;
     · Disruptions of longstanding patient-provider relationships;
     · Diminished quality and access to health care services;
     · Compromised patient care;
     · Inadequate communication with patients and providers.
     For all these reasons, we are calling on President Obama and other key federal officials to deny Iowa’s application to establish a statewide private-managed care system for Medicaid. Instead, Iowa should continue improving patient outcomes, increasing access to care and making the existing public management of Medicaid more efficient.
• Upcoming public forum
     Mason City Legislative Listening Post: Feb. 6 at 10 a.m., at the Mason City Public Library, 225 2nd St. SE, Mason City.
 
     Sen. Amanda Ragan (D-Mason City) serves Franklin, Butler and Cerro Gordo counties in Senate District 27. She can be reached at (515) 281-3371 or (641) 424-0874. Email her at amanda.ragan@legis.iowa.gov.