Iowa transitioned almost the entirety of its Medicaid program from a state-run system to three managed-care organizations on April 1. The state ran into many hurdles in the lead up to managed care, the switch was twice delayed by CMS while a fourth MCO had its contract taken away. Many Medicaid recipients and providers felt like the move was happening too quickly, and the state’s hospitals even asked a district judge to delay implementation. This series follows an Iowa family that has a child with physical and intellectual disabilities throughout the course of the first year of managed care.
The first story serves as an overview of the family. The second and third stories highlight specific issues they ran into once the switch took place – particularly around finding a doctor in their network. The final two stories are quarterly updates that give a broader perspective of what’s happened on both provider and the beneficiaries’ ends.