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Reynolds hopes details of HBAs, cheap alternative to insurance, out soon

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Governor Kim Reynolds.

Governor Kim Reynolds today said she hopes details of the “health benefit” plans the Iowa Farm Bureau and Wellmark will offer Iowans who do not qualify for ObamaCare subsidies will be released sometime next month.

Reynolds indicated that will give Iowans time before the sign-up period starts in November to review traditional insurance versus these alternative plans for 2019 which will be cheaper because they will not meet all Affordable Care Act guidelines.

“We want Iowans to be able to see and have ample time make the decisions and move forward,” Reynolds told reporters, “so I’m just excited that we do have some options and I was proud of the legislature working in a bipartisan manner to get that done.”

In April, Reynolds signed a bill into law that allows the sale of “health benefit arrangements” that have lower premiums because things like pre-existing conditions, mammograms or pregnancies are not covered. Critics say Iowans who fall ill may be surprised when their condition isn’t covered, but Reynolds said these plans are similar to what was available and purchased by thousands of Iowans before the Affordable Care Act took effect.

Iowa Medicaid director says ‘there are savings’ from privatization

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The director of Iowa’s Medicaid program says the state will save about $140 million in the current year because patient care is being managed by private companies, but Mike Randol is not explaining why that estimate has tripled since he became Medicaid director in January.

“I think it’s important to understand that regardless of the methodology, that there are savings,” Randol said.

Randol made his comments today in a verbal report to the state board appointed by the governor to oversee the agency. Randol quickly left the room and did not speak with reporters seeking details about how his savings estimate was developed.

Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, said Randol didn’t address how patients and health care providers have been affected by Medicaid privatization either.

“The director’s analysis or presentation to the council was incomplete and I really question the accuracy of the numbers that he provided,” Jochum said.

Last week, Republican State Auditor Mary Mosiman announced she will review the agency’s calculations. Fred Hubbell, the Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement on Twitter that the lack of transparency about the finances of the state-run Medicaid program is “baffling and completely unacceptable.”

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric; additional reporting by Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson)

 

Reynolds takes actions on remaining bills from 2018 legislative session

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Governor Kim Reynolds. (file photo)

Governor Kim Reynolds has taken action on a dozen bills today, wrapping up her review of legislation passed by the 2018 Iowa General Assembly. Among the items tucked in a massive budget bill is a requirement that the University of Iowa Credit Union ditch that name, since it’s not associated with the university.

“I don’t think that’s unreasonable to ask for that, “Reynolds said earlier this week in Boone during a question-and-answer session with reporters.

State payments to local schools, plus state spending at the public universities and community colleges are outlined in the batch of bills Reynolds signed into law today.. Reynolds also approved spending plans for multiple state agencies, including the Department of Natural Resources and the DOT. Most state agencies will be operating under “status quo” budgets, although legislators did set aside an extra two-million dollars for the state’s park system, to avoid closures.

Reynolds did use her item veto authority to reject some legislative proposals. Republicans had voted to shut down a pilot program that supporters say is reducing the number of people who sit in jail while awaiting trial. Reynolds took action to continue the program through December 31, then ordered the agencies involved to review its effectiveness. Reynolds said in a veto message that she supports efforts to come up with a fairer system for people awaiting trial for non-violent crimes, but the governor indicated legislators had raised legitimate questions about how the program works. The program is being used in Polk, Scott and Woodbury Counties. Linn County delayed participation after lawmakers started raising concerns.

The governor vetoed one bill out of all the bills passed by the 2018 legislature. It’s a bill that passed the House and Senate unanimously and it dealt with how Iowa’s stock insurance companies may split into two separate firms. Reynolds said a provision stuck into the bill would have led to more disruption in Iowa’s insurance market by allowing a single person who is self-employed to qualify for group insurance policies.

Also today, Reynolds announced Jake Ketzner, her chief of staff, is leaving “to pursue opportunities outside state government.” Reynolds is promoting her senior legal counsel and chief policy advisor. Ryan Koopmans will become the governor’s chief of staff on June 9.

Iowa seniors warned not to be tricked by card scam

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State officials say Iowa seniors need to wait for the card in the mail. That’s because new Medicare cards are being mailed out with new identication numbers that are unique to each person.

The old cards have identification numbers that were based on Social Security numbers. That left open the possibility of identity theft if a Medicare card fell into the wrong hands. State officials are warning elderly Iowans that scammers may try to trick people into paying a fee for the card switch. The new Medicare cards are being issued at no expense to Medicare recipients.

The state’s insurance division is urging elderly Iowans to say “no thank you” and hang up on anyone who telephones with a pitch about the new Medicare cards.

AAA report finds Iowa is part of nationwide increase in hit-and-run crashes

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A report finds deadly hit-and-run crashes are on the rise across the country and in Iowa. Rose White, spokeswoman for AAA-Iowa, says their research finds there’s another hit-and-run crash every minute nationwide.

“Between 2006 through 2016, there were 93 hit-and-run crashes reported in Iowa that involved at least one fatality,” White says. She urges motorists to be cautious — and courteous to other drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

“If you drive a large pickup truck or SUV, those with the extended mirrors, use extra caution when sharing the road with bicyclists or when driving near pedestrians,” White says. “Some of these mirrors extend a foot-and-a-half from the side of the vehicle and can pose a deadly threat to any of those sharing the roadway.” The AAA study finds nearly 65% of people killed in hit-and-run crashes are pedestrians or bicyclists. For those on foot or on bikes, White urges them to avoid distractions and stay alert.

“Be aware of your surroundings and be aware of those extra dangers that can pose a threat, especially for vehicles that might be turning right on a red light,” White says. “Use caution whenever you’re near the roadway. This means staying off your cell phone if you’re a pedestrian.” Since 2009, the number of deaths resulting from hit-and-run crashes has risen more than seven-percent each year. Florida and New Mexico are among the worst states for hit-and-run crashes and they also have some of the highest numbers of uninsured motorists.

Iowa’s uninsured motorist rate is one of the lowest in the country at almost 9%, compared to Florida at nearly 27%.

 

Former Shenandoah funeral home director charged with insurance fraud

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A former funeral home director in southwest Iowa is accused of insurance fraud.

The Iowa Insurance Division issued a news release Thursday outlining the alleged actions of 43-year-old Michael Kirsch of Shenandoah. He was arrested on Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Kirsch sold insurance to people, who believed it would cover their future funeral expenses, but he was using the money for personal purchases. Court documents show Kirsch has paid nearly $33,000 in restitution to eight people.

(By Brent Barnett, KMA, Shenandoah)

Reynolds seeks plan for improving childrens’ mental health care system

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Mary Neubauer , Peggy Huppert and Governor Kim Reynolds.

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed an executive order creating a new state “children’s mental health board.”

“Initially the board will develop and recommend specific steps to build an integrated, well-coordinated and sustainble children’s mental health system,” Reynolds said this morning.

The governor is asking the group to make its recommendations by the end of the year. Advocates like Peggy Huppert of the National Alliance on Mental Illness say services for children diagnosed with mental illness or who are suicidal are woefully inadequate in Iowa.

“Ever since the reorganization of adult mental health services in Iowa six years ago, what to do about the kids has been on the table,” Huppert said. “…The fact is there is still no system, no plan, no accountability and no funding.”

Mary Neubauer of Clive began lobbying for improvements in Iowa’s mental health care system seven months ago, shortly after her 18-year-old son, Sergei, took his own life.

“This executive order is another real acknowledgement that we, as a state, need to do better, that these issues absolutely matter and we are prepared to do the hard work to get there,” Neubauer said. “…I urge Iowans to whom mental health matters to continue to tell their own stories and make their voices heard.”

The governor signed a bill earlier this year that addressed gaps in the mental health care system for adults. Reynolds said finding solutions to the system for helping children with a mental health diagnosis or who are in crisis is a priority and she plans to appoint the members of this new state board as soon as possible.

AUDIO of governor’s weekly news conference, 24:00

Farm Bureau expects to offer new health benefit packages by end of the year

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Craig Hill

The Iowa Farm Bureau is moving ahead with plans to sell new “health benefit” plans to perhaps tens of thousands of Iowans through Wellmark after legislation was signed into law last week by Governor Kim Reynolds.

Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill says the new law corrects a problem that was created by the federal government’s Affordable Care Act. “It provides us the opportunity to bring benefits to our members in health care,” Hill says. “We’ve done this for nearly 50 years as a partner with Wellmark but the Affordable Care Act eliminated our options and took us out of the market because of that legislation.”

Hill says one of the most pressing issues for farmers has been the inability to buy affordable health care. “Premiums have risen 300% since 2014 and many families are paying 20- and 30- and sometimes $35,000 a year for a policy with a large deductible,” Hill says. “It’s taken them out of the market. They’re going without insurance because they can’t afford it. They’re borrowing money to pay the premium.”

Hill sees the new health benefit package becoming available by the end of this year or early next year. “We think there’s 20-to-30,000 Iowans who quickly will move toward this,” Hill says. “They’re on the individual marketplace and are either without a policy or are on an unaffordable policy. There will be more next year. We’re working with Wellmark to get the underwriting prepared and get the policies out.” The Iowa Farm Bureau plan is under the rules for association plans offered by groups that have something in common, such as belonging to an association or a small employer. The Trump administration is drawing up new rules to offer health benefits outside the Affordable Care Act.

(By Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton)

 

Bill would provide new oversight for Medicaid managed care companies

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A bill to address some of the problems in Iowa’s Medicaid program has cleared a House committee.

The State Ombudsman just released a scathing report on the privately-run program. The bill directs state officials to review any case where services are cut by one of the private companies. Legislators call them managed care organizations or MCOs.

Republican Representative Dave Heaton of Mount Pleasant says the bill also requires state officials to step in if a patient wins an appeal.

“The decisions on the services continued will lie with the department and not the MCO,” Heaton says. “I think we need to make sure we have covered that.”

Representative Lisa Heddens, a Democrat from Ames, had been hoping for something tougher.

“I know this is a starting spot,” Heddens said, “and I hope we can be able to continue to work on addressing all the problems that still are a part of the managed care companies.”

The bill would require the private companies to pay doctors, hospitals and other health care providers by the contract deadlines — and explain any delays. An independent auditor would randomly check payments, too, if the bill becomes law.

Senate Republicans balked at the nearly $5 million price tag for a previous version of this bill, so it was scaled back.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Joyce Russell)

Concerns about state Medicaid program at top of Ombudsman’s list for 2017

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State Ombudsman Kristie Hirschman.

State Ombudsman Kristie Hirschman issued her annual report today and says complaints to her office rose for the fourth straight year in 2017.

Hirschman says one of the reasons for the bump up this year is a 157% increase calls for problems relating to the move to have private companies managed Medicaid for the state. “The majority of complaints we are getting are from providers — because they have no appeal process — and the managed care ombudsman is an advocate for members under long-term support services,” Hirschman says.

The Ombudsman accepts complaints from Iowans who believe a local or state government agency has acted unfairly, unreasonably, or inefficiently. Hirschman says her office has had success in dealing with the complaints on Medicaid.

“If we substantiate a complaint I think we are usually successful in persuading either the Department of Human Services or the manage care association…to correct the problem. Not always. But, if nothing else, we are persistent,” according to Hirschman. Hirschman brought concerns about the switch over in managing Medicaid to legislators last year — and she says they did respond.

Hirschman says she was allowed to hire two additional people last August and she says that has help keep the processing of their cases at a manageable level. “Absent those two additional employees, I’d hate to think where we’d be at right now,” Hirschman says. She says legislators have been trying to continue the address the issue and there is a bill still alive this session that could make a difference.

Medicaid complaints were among the top of the list last year — and Hirschman isn’t sure if the complaints will drop this year. She says a big concern could be AmeriHealth dropping out as a provider. “And they’re actually who we received the bulk of complaints about, the highest percentage of complaints about in 2017,” according Hirschman. But then, as with any program, now we are transitioning a number of members to Amerigroup, and any time you have a transition, there’s potentially problems. And obviously, United Healthcare absorbed a significant number of AmeriHealth members.”

With more than 500,000 Iowans impacted, she says there’s always concerns that come up. “Any changes in the requirements or criteria for Medicaid often generates calls to our office,” Hirschman says. The director of the Department of Human Services told lawmakers earlier this year that manage care is the future for states. Jerry Foxhoven also said most states have struggled as they make the transition.

The Ombudsman’s report chronicles some of the complaints here office has dealt with. You can see the full report at online at www.legis.iowa.gov/Ombudsman.