Editorial: Roses & thistles: AmeriHealth pulled out of Medicaid program nearly two years ago but still owes Iowa health providers as much as $1.4 million

A thistle to AmeriHealth Caritas for failing to reimburse Iowa health care providers as much as $1.4 million.

The insurance company pulled out of the privatized Medicaid program nearly two years ago, yet state documents show it has yet to pay a huge debt to hospitals, nursing homes and mental health providers, according to the Associated Press. 

With no help from the state in collecting the money owed, providers must file lawsuits or go through arbitration to try to collect. That means more resources dedicated to paperwork and bureaucracy instead of providing health care to Iowans — a recurring theme in privatized Medicaid. 

The CEO of a health care company that is owed nearly $200,000 aptly summed up the situation as “downright thievery.” 

It’s actually state-sanctioned thievery, thanks to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is deserving of the biggest thistle jab in all this. She insists on continuing the disastrous Medicaid privatization, which was put in place by her predecessor. Instead of returning the program to state management, she maintains and defends a model that funnels billions of public dollars to for-profit companies. Those companies demand and receive more and more taxpayer dollars. When they don’t get what they want, they can and do abruptly close up shop and leave the rest of us to deal with the aftermath. 

Will the governor do anything to ensure AmeriHealth pays Iowa health providers for services provided her constituents? 

A rose to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Donor Network for working together to expand organ donation registration under a new law named after Logan Luft.

The Charles City teen had registered to be an organ donor before he died in a 2017 ATV accident. Since then, a young girl in Kentucky received Logan’s heart. A Minnesota teen has his liver. At least 20 people have received tissue and bone from his body.

Though Iowans have long been prompted to sign up to be donors when they get driver’s licenses, Logan’s Law expands registration to hunting and fishing licenses. It also requires state officials to include donor information in hunting safety courses. 

There’s no estimate on the impact of how many more donors will sign up in Iowa, but in the year after Minnesota added donor registration to outdoor recreational licenses, more than 32,000 people registered.

A rose to California for banning taxpayer-funded travel to Iowa after our lawmakers and governor exempted transition surgery for transgender people from being covered under taxpayer-funded health insurance, including Medicaid. 

In April, the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature voted to allow any state, local government unit or tax-supported district to decline to use public funds for “sex reassignment surgery” and other reconstructive and plastic surgeries.   

The result was singling out and denying care to one group of Iowans who already feel marginalized. 

“California has taken an unambiguous stand against discrimination and government actions that would enable it,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. 

If only Iowa leaders were so enlightened. And if GOP politicians are suddenly interested in micromanaging Medicaid spending, they should refer to the thistle above and take an interest in the money being wasted by privatizing the program.

A rose to the Iowa Department of Transportation for expanding its “Highway Helper” program to the Quad Cities and extending hours in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Council Bluffs. 

Workers patrol state highways and use traffic cameras around the state to identify stranded drivers. They provide free help fixing flat tires, jump-starting vehicles and supplying gasoline. If more serious repairs are needed, they transport drivers to a safe location to make arrangements.

“In traffic incident management, every minute counts,” said Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe. “For every minute a lane is blocked, the risk of a secondary crash increases by 2.8 percent.” 

Having a vehicle break down on the highway can be terrifying. Cars and trucks barrel by at high speeds. Distracted drivers may veer into you. While you hope someone stops, you’re afraid of who that person may be. The flashing lights of a Highway Helper vehicle are a welcome sight. 

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