From Senator Amanda Ragan –
Iowa Medicaid providers are struggling under the Branstad-Reynolds privatization plan, according to a new survey.
The survey was completed by more than 400 doctors, hospitals, local clinics and non-profit health care providers. They have faced hurdles and headaches in providing high-quality care since Iowa’s $5 billion Medicaid program was privatized on April 1.
According the survey, Medicaid providers are seeing higher costs in running their businesses. For example:
· 90 percent say privatization has increased their administrative expenses
· 79 percent are not getting paid on time by the for-profit corporations now running Iowa Medicaid
· 66 percent say when they do get reimbursed, it’s at lower rates than agreed upon
· 28 percent have had to borrow money to pay their bills while waiting to be reimbursed by out-of- state Managed Care Organizations
The switch to private Medicaid has caused a significant hardship, according to one mental health center. “Our agency has had to take out loans and some staff have volunteered to go without pay for a couple of pay periods. This is all because the MCOs owe approximately $200,000 to us at this time… The MCOs were not at all prepared for what they took on in such a short time. We need help!!!!”
Those who completed the survey say services for Iowans on Medicaid will suffer because of privatization:
· 61 percent say privatization has reduced the quality of services they can provide
· 46 percent of providers are planning to reduce services
· 38 percent say Medicaid patients can no longer see their out-of-network specialty providers
One survey respondent said, “it has harmed our most vulnerable locally, as they now have little to no options for some services… and sometimes no local options at all….”
Iowa Medicaid is in a state of emergency. Iowa physicians may be forced to stop taking Medicaid patients or close their doors all together. That would be bad for the 560,000 elderly, disabled and low-income Iowans who rely on Medicaid.
For full survey results and to read the experiences of Iowa Medicaid providers in their own words, go to www.iowahouse.org/medicaidprovider.pdf.
No matter what anyone says, if people have to travel 3 hours with no way to get there, it is wrong. Mercy Hospital has a obligation to negotiate with the providers to correct this. And, the state has a obligation to make Mercy do it.
Or those people have an obligation to select an MCO that has a contract with Mercy….ball was always in their court.
Why should they have to choose for a state sponsored insurance program funded by state taxpayer money. It is the state and a hospital who pays no taxes responsibility to provide medical care for these under privileged people. Either do it or give up your tax free status. It is a terrible way to treat people who can’t help themselves.
They did choose. All Medicaid consumers were given the choice to select one of the three MCOs. If they selected the one that Mercy did not contract with, that is on them. (And Branstad for the move to MCOs).
As someone who uses the Mercy system, I have issues with expecting Mercy to “give away” free care to someone who could easily switch MCOs. Those costs will have to be passed on to the consumers like myself who do pay for our care. Again, Mercy is non-profit but that doesn’t mean they don’t have to cover their costs.
They have a RIGHT to be treated in the closest medical facility. It is just wrong to force people with few resources to travel three hours for care. They are forced to stay alone because their family’s do not have the means to visit them. Mercy makes millions and to say they can’t cover their cost is a outright lie. They are profiting on the backs of citizens who are not able to care for themselves. Now, you can delete this but it does not change the facts.
I think Governor Branstad is deleting comments about this topic.
Matt will put them back on. There was nothing wrong with those comments at all. It is the A-Hole who has been posting under different names that did it. They better be careful or Matt will ban their IP address.
I guess Matt must be a fan of the Governor’s or he likes the privatization plan. No comments restored.
If these stats are true then privatization is not working. I was not in favor of Branstad’s plan due to the greed. Health care is not immune to that greed and sometimes (sometimes) Government is necessary to make sure the greed in the private sector does not squeeze out the poor and uneducated.
Thank you Ms. Ragan for your oversight.
The biggest danger lies in the loss of C-DAC workers; those who are paid by Medicaid to go into homes and provide bathing and personal care assistance. These individuals bill Medicaid independently. They cannot afford for payment to run 60 days late. Several have applied for jobs in the incoming retail in our area. Once they do, who will help keep seniors in their homes–the most cost effective place for them to be?
BOO HOOOOO !
Stupid old coot.
You dumb ass. That wasn’t me. Man. you look stupid.
As a matter of fact I agree with her on this one. I know a lot of people that are being made to go all the way to Iowa City because Mercy refuses to treat them. These people have little or no money and mostly do not have vehicles to get them and their family to Iowa city. They take them by air but then they are there alone. When they are released they have a difficult time getting home. Mercy pays no taxes so they can treat everyone. They need to do that.
Those of us who have been here for a while know that the 1st post wasn’t LVS. Even though he hates Ms. Ragan, he realizes that fooling with Medicaid like Gov. Branstad has is only a ruse to cut benefits and make more money for the ones who already have money. Right now Iowa ranks dead last in the U.S. for beds available to the mentally ill. This is Branstad’s fault. He does not care about those who are less fortunate than others because of his Republican upbringing.
As I said before someone deleted my comment, copied my name and made another cowardly dumb ass comment, I agree withe her on this issue. I know a lot of people who are being forced by Mercy to travel to Iowa City for treatment just because they are on Medicaid. These are people who do not have much money and in a lot of cases don’t even have a vehicle to go back and forth. Mercy will send them down bu air ambulance (so they can charge medicaid) and leave them there all alone. Their family has no way to get there so they are left alone. This happens more and more and should be stopped immediately. Rake away Mercy’s tax free status if they are not going to treat everyone.
I agree with you and know the same stories from different people. Wonder why my previous comment was deleted.
If a person is on Medicaid through United, they are not covered at mercy. Mercy was very clear and communicated well that they only had Medicaid contracts with amerihealth and amerigroup.
Mercy is nonprofit, not free. Their responsibility is to stabilize and transport.
A lot of people were not aware of that. Mercy’s responsibility should be to treat everyone who needs it. Otherwise, take away their tax free status. If they don’t pay taxes they are working for the state and should honor all medicaid programs.