From Senator Amanda Ragan –
As you are all well aware, the Department of Human Services has proposed moving nearly the entire Medicaid system to managed care. If Iowa moves forward at the pace proposed by DHS, Iowa will have made the transition faster than any other state.
When you research managed care, you learn quickly that the first lesson is to be methodical, and to be inclusive of stakeholders and Medicaid members. Iowa Medicaid is, after all, Iowa’s second largest insurance company. This transformation will impact nearly 560,000 Iowans – many of them with significant health issues and disabilities. We’re talking about the largest procurement in State history at about $4.2 billion dollars.
I think a change of this magnitude requires legislative debate and robust oversight. It’s imperative that we ensure that our tax dollars are being used effectively and efficiently, that we are truly moving our healthcare system forward in a way that rewards a slowing of healthcare costs while improving healthcare outcomes, and we must ensure that vulnerable Iowans do not “fall through the cracks” either as a result of the transition to managed care or ongoing policies that try to save money by limiting access to services.
SF 452 creates a Legislative Medicaid Transformation and Oversight Commission that will monitor the transition to managed care and make recommendations for improvement. The focus of the Commission’s work will be defining and monitoring outcomes, reviewing DHS’ contract oversight, and ensuring that members are able to access appropriate, high quality healthcare services. Secondly, the bill outlines conditions that must be included in any managed care contracts.
