No deal yet for UnityPoint and Amerigroup

UnityPoint Health has not yet reached an agreement with Amerigroup of Iowa over a contract for serving Iowa Medicaid patients, officials said.

'Discussions are ongoing and we are still working towards a resolution by the end of the calendar year,” UnityPoint Spokeswoman Teresa Thoensen said in an email to The Gazette. 'We will continue discussions into the weekend if needed.”

UnityPoint Health, one of the state's largest medical networks with facilities including St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, announced last month it has notified 54,000 patients that the network's contract with Amerigroup could end Dec. 31. Amerigroup is one of two remaining managed care organizations participating in Iowa's managed Medicaid program.

If UnityPoint and Amerigroup can't hammer out differences, UnityPoint providers and facilities no longer will be able to provide services to Amerigroup members beginning April 1, the health network said last month. An exception is for emergency care as required by law.

In the case of a break, patients would need to change their insurer or keep Amerigroup and transfer to a new provider, UnityPoint said.

UnityPoint Health will continue to be in-network for Iowa's other MCO network, UnitedHealthcare.

For more information, Amerigroup members can go to www.unitypoint.org/IowaMedicaid or contact Iowa Medicaid Member Services toll-free Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (800) 338-8366 or (515) 256-4606 in the Des Moines area; or visit http://dhs.iowa.gov/iahealthlink.

l Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com