GOP: Massive Cut to ReynoldsCare “Doesn’t Make Sense”
The AP reported that members of the Governors own party say that her proposed $10 million in cuts to ReynoldsCare don’t make sense and that “there isn’t enough data to back up” Reynolds’ claims regarding impacts of these cuts.
“It’s rare that I agree with Speaker Upmeyer, but she’s right that Reynolds’ plan to slash funding from health care when Iowans are already struggling to access the care they need ‘doesn’t make sense,’ ” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. “Yet again, Iowans are paying the price for the Reynolds Budget Crisis and her wrong priorities that put tax giveaways for special interests ahead of the needs of Iowa’s own families and local businesses.”
Iowa Republicans have started wading through the hard realities of mid-year budget cuts, and some are expressing reservations about a proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds to reduce $10 million from the state’s health care program for the poor and disabled.
The cut to Medicaid would be the largest of Reynolds’ nearly $30 million in reductions to the current $7.2 billion budget that runs through June. Her staff claims it won’t reduce services, but there isn’t enough data to back up the argument and Reynolds will ultimately have to make her case to fellow Republicans who control the Legislature.
Some already appear wary of removing money from a program under scrutiny for reports of reduced services under privatization.
“House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Clear Lake Republican, said she’s heard that concern privately from her caucus. She added the reduction seemed “counter-intuitive,” but she’s checking with the Iowa Department of Human Services, the agency that oversees the program, for definitive information.
‘That’s the one I think … we really want to understand how that would be possible, because we’re actually inclined to think that doesn’t make sense,’ she said.”
“Sen. Charles Schneider, a West Des Moines Republican who chairs a key budget committee, said similar discussions are happening in the Senate.
‘As much as Medicaid has been in the news, we want to be sure we’re providing adequate funding for it,’ he said.”
Private insurance companies took over Iowa’s Medicaid program in 2016. Since then, health care providers and Medicaid recipients have filed complaints about reduced services and delayed reimbursements.
…Peter Brantner, executive director of Crossroads Behavioral Health Services, expressed frustration at proposed Medicaid cuts because he’s seen no drop in patients to his organization, which has offices in southern Iowa and treats individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems.
“How would they affect the services that Medicaid members need to maximize their potential?” he asked.
…The budget proposals worry Kirsten Corrigan, a public health consultant in Marion whose 16-year-old son, Ryan, uses a wheelchair, is non-verbal and requires 24-hour monitoring. He receives most of his medical care through private insurance but gets some services through Medicaid.
Corrigan said looking at Medicaid through the lens of a spreadsheet does a disservice to people like Ryan.
“There’s been so many denials and delays,” she said of the experiences of families. “I think a lot of people are falling through the cracks, and there’s a lot of cost that’s not being reported because of that.”