Des Moines Register
By: Tony Leys
This week’s departure of Iowa’s largest Medicaid management firm shouldn’t cause poor or disabled Iowans to suddenly lose health-care services, the leader of the main remaining company said. “We’re honoring those services on Day One. Those services will continue,” said Kim Foltz, Iowa chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare.
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Georgetown University health-policy researcher Andy Schneider noted that when Iowa applied for federal permission to hire private Medicaid managers, it promised that all members would have at least two companies to choose from. It will be up to federal officials to decide how long to let Iowa offer just one choice to many Medicaid beneficiaries, said Schneider, who studies the Medicaid system. Schneider noted that proponents of private Medicaid management tout competition among the management companies as one of the main benefits to consumers. If consumers don’t like the service or networks provided by one company, they are supposed to be able to switch to another one. “In theory, that’s what keeps the plan on its toes and worrying about you,” he said. “…It’s absolutely fundamental.”
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