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Legislative update from Rep. Todd Pritchard

Todd Prichard
Todd Prichard

From Rep. Todd Pritchard –

The Army has a long standing policy that after a unit completes an exercise or operation it conducts an AAR or After Action Review. Usually these reviews are done informally and amount to a 10 to 15 minute discussion on 2 to 3 things that went well and 2 to 3 things that require improvement for the next mission. Ideally everyone involved in the mission participates in the discussion and those responsible for certain functions take appropriate care to learn from success and failure to improve their competence for future missions. This system of constantly assessing past performance to improve future performance has served the Army well. It is important to learn from mistakes and equally important to learn from success. I think the legislature experienced a few of each in the categories of success and failure.

As we are in the waning moments of this year’s legislative session, now is an appropriate time to do an AAR on the session.

First, a few positive things. While nothing substantive or comprehensive on Water Quality is likely to make the Governor’s desk this session, I was pleased with the Water Quality discussion. There seems to be a broad consensus that the state needs to implement a comprehensive water shed program across the state. This is positive as this is the first step of the legislative process, building consensus and debating alternate plans. I am pleased with the level of consensus and happy with the number of plans proposed. While some plans are better than others, I am optimistic that we can come to next year’s session with solid direction and pass a bipartisan and comprehensive plan.

Second, timeliness of education funding. Have no doubt education funding is barely in the positive, but, it is an improvement from last year. Education funding passed the House and Senate earlier than last year. While we were still a year late by what law requires, we were ahead of the April 15th school budget certification deadline.

Third, we continue to make progress on human trafficking. Happily we continue to improve our state’s ability to deal with human trafficking. This year we created a new office within the Department of Public Safety to investigate human trafficking across the state. We continue to make progress.

Now for the improvements.

First, school funding was late and inadequate. While we did better than last year’s tardiness, we were still late. This lateness is a huge problem. Because school funding is not set early and first, it is included in the current year fiscal fight. This means education funding is forced to compete head to head against every other budget item within the state like water quality, public safety and economic development incentives. Education needs to be set first and on time. This will make it easier to set an adequate level and avoid cuts to necessary programs within our education system.

Second, oversight for the $4 Billion Managed Care contract is lacking. Four billion is over half of the state’s budget. There are 540,000 Iowans using Iowa’s Medicaid system. I have heard from hospitals, doctors, care providers and patients across the district and state on this shift to managed care. The state has a duty to safeguard tax payer dollars and ensure proper care of the program’s clients. The bill considered by the House was woefully inadequate to ensure Iowa’s patients receive the care they need. Real over sight is needed to make sure the state gets the benefit of the Governor’s bargain with this contract.

For my part, I will always be an advocate for improving Iowa’s Education system. We owe the greatness of our state to the foundation we built with Education. Further, I will continue to work across the aisle on Water Quality. This issue will require the state’s attention for generations to come and the future of our farm economy depends on our ability to manage our state’s waterways as this problem really deals with both soil and water issues.

Like every year, there is always work left on the table for next year. As any good Chicago Cubs fan knows, there is always next year. I look forward to continuing the discussion of these issues through the summer.

Job Creation Efforts Approved; No Action on Wage Inequality

The Iowa House approved a bill to continue the state’s job creation efforts next year, but it did not address wage inequities and funding for local job placement offices.

The House Majority party turned back an effort to ensure that companies that accept state contracts pay women the same wage for the same work.  The bill also included a $200,000 reduction to Iowa Workforce Development field offices.  Another measure that was voted down by the Majority party would have made it harder to discriminate against employees.  Funding for the state’s job creation and cultural programs will receive the same level of funding as last year.

The Economic Development Appropriations Budget, House File 2455, includes funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Economic Development Authority, the economic development activities at the State universities, and Iowa Workforce Development.

The bill now goes to the Senate for further consideration.

Medicaid Managed Care Oversight

Since Medicaid was privatized on April 1st, many providers and Medicaid members are still confused and having trouble with the new system.  Providers have reported not being paid for services, and members have said they are having difficulty accessing care.

In response, many lawmakers believe robust oversight is needed to guarantee the $4 billion in taxpayer funds are spent efficiently and Iowans can still access the services they need. The oversight plan offered by some lawmakers would use existing committees of legislators, state agencies and members of the public to oversee implementation and make any recommendations for changes if necessary.

However, that oversight plan was rejected this week by the House Majority Party.  Instead, they would just require the private managed care organizations (MCO) to make public the reports they are already required to file.  There is no mechanism to fix issues that arise or hold the MCO’s accountable.

If you are still having issues with the change and need answers to your questions, members and providers should use the following contact information:

For Iowa Medicaid Member – IME Member Services
Phone: 1-800-338-8366 (toll free) or 515-256-4606
Website: www.IAHealthLink.gov
Email: IMEMemberServices@dhs.state.ia.us

For Iowa Medicaid Providers – IME Provider Services
Phone: 1-800-338-7909 (toll free) or 515-256-4609
Email: IMEProviderServices@dhs.state.ia.us
Provider Managed Care Organization Contacts: https://dhs.iowa.gov/ime/providers/MCO-contact-info 

Managed Care Organizations
Amerigroup Iowa, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-600-4441
Web: www.myamerigroup.com/IA/

AmeriHealth Caritas
Phone: 1-855-332-2440
Web: www.amerihealthcaritasia.com

UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley
Phone: 1-800-464-9484
Web: www.UHCCommunityPlan.com/ia/

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