Letter to the Editor: We need Medicaid to work

To the Editor:

Medicaid makes it possible for thousands of low-income Iowans - low-income children and adults, people with disabilities and seniors - to access quality health care services without having to choose between being healthy and paying the rent.

We also know our state’s Medicaid program isn’t working as well as it should. But it has become so politicized that a productive conversation on how to fix the program is nearly impossible.

The election is over. It’s time to listen to Iowans, build on the good things Medicaid does and fix the things that aren’t working. Iowans are great problem solvers; we know how to find practical solutions.

In Allamakee County, 27 percent of kids get their health insurance through Medicaid or hawk-i. Statewide, more than 550,000 Iowans are covered by Medicaid.

We look forward to working with Senator Breitbach and Rep. Osmundson to find ways to modernize Medicaid without harming vulnerable Iowans who depend on it for their health care.

If managed care is the path Iowa takes, we should make it the best Medicaid managed care program in the country. We need Medicaid to work. It’s just too important.

Anne Discher,
Executive Director
Child and Family Policy Center in Des Moines