Branstad asked about Medicaid

MASON CITY - Joy Newcom of Forest City told Gov. Terry Branstad on Wednesday his proposed privatization of Medicaid services was too much, too soon and had too many unanswered questions.

Newcom, mother of a 24-year-old son with mental and physical disabilities, expressed her concerns at a town-hall meeting Branstad held at the Historic Park Inn Hotel.

About 100 people attended. Many had questions about the changes in Medicaid.

Under the new program, as of Jan. 1, about 600,000 Medicaid recipients in Iowa will go from a state-run program to one operated by four managed care organizations.

'You didn't get enough input from families,” Newcom said. 'There are too many unanswered questions, too many opportunities where families may have to step in to fill the gaps in the program, and they can't afford it,” she said.

Branstad said he understood her concerns, but the program, as it is operating now, has serious problems.

'Costs of the Medicaid program have gone up 73 percent in recent years. If you project this into the future, you can see it's unsustainable,” Branstad said

He said 25 other states have shifted to privatization of the program.

Health care providers and care givers say administrative costs will increase in the new program and the only way to cut costs is to cut services.

Branstad was accompanied by Amy McCoy, public information officer for the Iowa Department of Human Services.

McCoy said if the present system continued, services would have to be cut because of the growing number of recipients and skyrocketing costs.

'We are trying to make sure nothing falls through the cracks,” she said.

Branstad also was asked about the Elderly Waiver program in Iowa. DHS recently rejected a request from the Franklin County Board of Health to resume services to patients who lost benefits in the program, which is a part of Medicaid.

In-home assistance was discontinued last year because of a discrepancy in how eligibility and service levels were applied. DHS was able to work through an appeals process to get many of the elderly reinstated.

But one county resident, Oneta Stackhouse, 88, died before her appeal hearing. She had been receiving services for eight years before they were discontinued.

Branstad and McCoy said the state is working to speed up the appeals process and work out other related problems.