The day has come for Medicaid modernization in Iowa. The initial start date was set for January 1st, but that was delayed to March 1st, and it was pushed back a second time to April 1st. Under the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa, three managed care organizations, or MCOs, are overseeing the Medicaid clients in the state. The three MCOs are Amerigroup Iowa, AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa and UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley.

At Washington’s final legislative briefing of the session held March 19th, administrator of Washington County Public Health Danielle Pettit-Majewski said many people are still asking questions to which they aren’t getting answers. State Representative Jarad Klein told her to carbon copy him on any e-mails she has with the MCOs so there is another set of eyes on it and so they have documentation should they need it.

According to the Iowa Department of Human Services, in Fiscal Year 14, there were over 665,000 Medicaid members. Also, it has been announced that the Mayo Clinic and the MCOs were not able to negotiate contracts to allow routine health coverage for Iowa’s Medicaid patients at the facility.