Cynthia Fodor of KCCI news talks about how Iowa legislators are working to combat the manufactured home rent crisis: wp.me/p8aBRy-77h
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Feds launch investigative review of oversight of privatized Medicaid
Iowa Senate News Release
For Immediate Release: April 17, 2019Key Iowa Senators applaud investigation by U.S. Inspector General
DES MOINES – The U.S. Office of Inspector General has launched an investigative review of whether federal officials are providing sufficient and appropriate oversight to ensure that people with Medicaid are receiving the care to which they are entitled.
Citing the lack of oversight of privatized Medicaid by Governor Reynolds and the Republican-controlled Legislature, two key Iowa State Senators today praised the new investigation.
“Since it was launched three years ago in Iowa, privatized Medicaid has been unsustainable, unaffordable and unaccountable,” Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City and Liz Mathis of Hiawatha wrote in a letter to U.S. Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson. “There has been little effort by the Governor or majority party in the Iowa General Assembly to provide proper oversight for the out-of-state managed care organizations (MCOs).”
The Senators added: “Medicaid advocates, policymakers and other taxpayers deserve an investigation by the Inspector General that provides an answer to the question that we have asked since the start of Medicaid privatization in Iowa: Are some MCOs putting the bottom line ahead of patient health and safety?”
The Inspector General initiated the review of the oversight role of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the request of U.S. Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, Ranking Member of the Special Committee on Aging.
In his request, Casey cited reports from across the country “alleging that some Medicaid managed care companies (MCOs) continuously deny care to patients sorely in need of care. In some cases, patients have experienced entirely preventable life-altering harms.”
“Medicaid is emblematic of who we are as a nation, reflecting who we value and the ideals we are willing to fight for,” Casey added. “We must ensure Medicaid MCOs live up to these ideals and provide Americans with the health care that they deserve.”
In its description of the investigation, the Inspector General acknowledges that privatized Medicaid “can create an incentive to deny beneficiaries’ access to covered services.”
“Our review will determine whether Medicaid MCOs complied with Federal requirements when denying access to requested medical and dental services and drug prescriptions that required prior authorization,” the agency’s website states.
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Links:
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Don’t let Medicaid mess undermine children’s health insurance
Iowa Senate News Release
Senator Nate Boulton
Representative John Forbes
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2019Don’t let Medicaid mess undermine Iowa’s successful children’s health insurance program
Two members of the board of Hawki, Iowa’s nationally recognized Hawki children’s health insurance program, today raised concerns in a letter about maintaining quality as it becomes part of Iowa’s troubled privatized Medicaid program.
“This is another challenging transition for Iowa families,” said Senator Nate Boulton. “Unitedhealthcare had been a Hawki provider for more than five years. Those families need as much support as possible to make sure their care is not interrupted. Specifically, we must make sure providers continue to welcome Hawki kids into their care.”
“The Hawki transition is another opportunity for the Reynolds Administration to show that it has learned from past mistakes,” said Representative John Forbes. “Iowans were promised that a privatized health care system would increase quality and access to care. However, too often they have instead gotten more headaches and problems.”
Hawki provides low-cost health coverage for more than 70,000 children from working families across the state. The Hawki Board of Directors guides the Department of Human Services’ efforts to develop, implement and administer the Hawki program.
The questions for the board included:
- How will the Board/DHS communicate with Hawki families about the transition from UnitedHealthcare to one of the two remaining managed-care organizations, Amerigroup Iowa or Iowa Total Care?
- How will the Board/DHS communicate with schools across the state to make sure that parents and school officials are aware of the upcoming changes? This is especially concerning for parents/guardians because they will be scheduling annual physicals, immunizations and other routine care during the summer months.
- How will parents/guardians learn whether they will be able to keep their current pediatrician or other health care provider if they are transitioning to Amerigroup Iowa or Iowa Total Care?
- How will the Board/DHS ensure healthcare providers continue to see Hawki as a secure and trustworthy benefit program, one that they want to be involved with?
-end-
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John Oliver tackles the mobile home park crisis
Mobile homes may seem like an affordable housing option, but large investment companies are making them less and less so.
On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver takes a deep dive into the problems home owners face in mobile home parks. Iowa must address these issues and reform our manufactured housing laws.
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Republicans once again turn their backs on suffering Iowans
April 4, 2019
Statement by Senator Joe Bolkcom
Republicans voted today to continue to restrict access to THC in medical cannabis. Their decision means thousands of Iowans will continue suffer needlessly.
Iowa is the only state with a comprehensive medical cannabis program that has limits on THC medicine. Iowa has the nation’s most restrictive, most unworkable, and least compassionate medical cannabis program.
Iowans who want to fix our state’s broken medical cannabis program should contact their legislators, especially Republicans, before the Legislature adjourns.
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Senate Republicans fail to support bipartisan effort to restore voting rights
April 4, 2019
Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen
on failure of Senate Republicans to support bipartisan effort to restore voting rights“Like most Iowans, we cheered when the Iowa House – on a 95-2 vote – approved a key priority of Governor Reynolds: restoring voting rights of felons.
“It is shameful that Senator Brad Zaun and other Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee killed this priority legislation for the 2019 session.
“We agreed with the Governor when she said the bipartisan vote in the Iowa House was ‘a victory for Iowans who deserve a second chance.’
“Senate Democrats will work next year with the Governor and any willing members of the Senate Republican caucus to move House Joint Resolution 14 forward and to ensure that Iowans are allowed a vote on this important issue.
“In the meantime, we urge the Governor to use her authority to issue an executive as soon as possible to restore felon voting rights.”
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Statement on passing of former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Daryl Hecht
April 3, 2019
Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen
on the passing of former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Daryl Hecht“We lost a former member of the Iowa Supreme Court today who did the right thing even when it wasn’t easy.
“Justice Daryl Hecht was a leader and advocate for the civil rights of all Iowans. Whether by ensuring marriage equality, protecting the rights of women to make their own health care decisions or guaranteeing free speech, his judicial independence improved the lives of thousands and thousands of Iowans.
“Justice Hecht’s family, colleagues and friends are in our thoughts today.”
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More problems for Iowa health care | Sign our petition
Privatized, for-profit Medicaid continues to cause chaos and uncertainty for Iowa families, health care providers and taxpayers.On Friday, we learned that UnitedHealthcare is leaving Iowa’s managed care program. UnitedHealthcare currently is the MCO for over 70 percent of Iowans on Medicaid. That means 425,000 Iowans will again have their health care disrupted, as they are forced to switch insurance companies. This could put our most vulnerable in life or death situations.
Governor Reynolds says that United HealthCare is unwilling to be held accountable for the quality of its services. United Healthcare claims they’re leaving due “to underfunding and the inability to create a path forward with sustainable funding.”
Iowans are not interested in a “he said, she said” between MCOs and the Governor. The bottom line is that “three years into our costly Medicaid privatization experiment, Iowa’s dominant managed-care organization (MCO) still can’t handle normal business practices like paying health care providers on time.”
This is just the latest in a series of problems that have plagued privatized Medicaid since its inception three years ago. Democrats have offered ideas for meaningful improvements—but time and again, they fall on deaf ears.
Elected officials should listen to Iowans who depend on Medicaid, and to health care providers, family care givers and tax payers. Together, Iowans can fix our broken health care system. We can turn this problem into a success that will make our state healthier, stronger and a more attractive place to live.
If you agree, please sign our petition and join Democratic lawmakers in calling on Statehouse Republicans to fix Iowa’s failed Medicaid privatization experiment. Go to iowansforqualitymedicaid.com to sign the petition—and share it with others who share our concerns!
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Getting the help you need to recover from a disaster
We hope these documents are useful to Iowans, businesses, organizations and communities affected by recent flooding.
Link: Iowa DHS Disaster Assistance Programs
Documents below:
- Public Assistance Tips
- Public Assistance Program & Policy Guide: Navigation Tips & Tricks
- 2019 Guide to IA Disaster Assistance
[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Public-Assistance-Tips.pdf” title=”Public Assistance Tips”]
[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PAPPG_Navigation_Tips_and_Tricks_2-1-2017.pdf”]
[pdf-embedder url=”http://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-Guide-to-IA-Disaster-Assistance-full-page.pdf” title=”2019 Guide to IA Disaster Assistance – full page”]