Iowa's Senate Majority Leader says there will be legislation that provides oversight of the transition of Iowa’s Medicaid program into management by private companies.
"The rollout of this managed care has been messy and we're going to standup for the patients and for providers out there that need to understand the rules of the game," says Democrat Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs, who has been a vocal critic of Medicaid privatization. "We don't think there are enough protections right now in that process, so we're going to keep working on that."
Republican House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake agreed it’s the legislature’s role to provide oversight for all state programs. And therefore, she says the legislature will be watching the process.
Lawsuits and a failure to obtain federal approval are among several disruptions to the process of privatizing Medicaid, a program that costs $4.2 billion annually and serves roughly one in six Iowans. Privatization is tentatively scheduled for March first.
