Letter: Medicaid managed care is working

Kudos to Gov. Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds for their efforts to provide high quality health care to Iowa's poor and disabled.

This past spring, the governor oversaw the transition of the state's Medicaid system to three managed care organizations. Although critics called foul, the move has opened doors to an array of new services for Iowa's Medicaid recipients.

As part of the modernization plan, Medicaid patients have access to more than 80 value-added benefits. These include pregnancy and prenatal care programs, a 24-hour nurse hotline, Boys and Girls Club memberships, weight management programs, and tobacco cessation protocols. Additionally, patients with serious chronic health concerns now have access to a health care coordinator who will oversee their care.

Iowa's efforts to modernize its Medicaid system are consistent with similar efforts in 39 other states where 75 percent of all enrollees are in a managed care plan. The managed care system is working across the nation, and I am happy Iowa's poor and disabled are able to benefit from policymakers' forwarded thinking policies.

Cynthia Michel

Kalona