Genesis Hosts Medicaid Legislative Forum
DAVENPORT, Iowa – Genesis Health System will hold a public forum on Friday, April 4 to provide information about the need for improved Medicaid funding to serve the most vulnerable citizens of Iowa.
The forum will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the Adler Education Center in the lower level of the Genesis Heart Institute, 1236 E. Rusholme St., Davenport. The public is invited to participate.
Iowa legislators from the Quad Cities area who have agreed to participate are David Hartsuch, M.D., Elesha Gayman, Linda Miller, Jim Lykam and Frank Wood.
Medicaid coverage, which is funded by state funds and matching federal funds, is the health care safety net for the most vulnerable Iowans, including the blind and disabled, the lowest income families, the disabled elderly and young mothers with children.
Iowa's health care system performance has been ranked No. 2 nationally behind only Hawaii (Commonwealth Ratings) but Iowa’s spending on Medicaid is among the lowest of all states.
The Iowa Hospital Association is asking the Iowa General Assembly to add $27 million in additional funding to put Iowa’s Medicaid payments at Medicare reimbursement levels. The $27 million would then be matched on a 2-to-1 basis by the federal government.
“Preserving access to health care for the poorest Iowans is a core function
of state government. We are asking the Iowa General Assembly to support initiatives that will increase Medicaid funding levels and prevent any loss of access to health professionals,'' said Tiffany Fitzgerald, coordinator of government relations, Genesis Health System.
The Iowa Hospital Association is also asking for modification of the IowaCare waiver program that would allow all Iowa hospitals to provide reimbursed care for the emergency services to IowaCare enrollees. Currently, Iowa Care enrollees are routinely cared for at hospitals close to their home, but the hospitals receive no reimbursement for that care.
Iowa hospitals lose more than $110 million (at cost) in providing services to Medicaid patients, according to the Iowa Hospital Association.
The shortfall in Medicaid reimbursements could make it increasingly more difficult for Iowa hospitals to recruit and retain top health care professionals and access to health care professionals could be reduced particularly in rural areas.
The public is invited to the forum to learn more about the need for a fully funded Medicaid program. For more information, contact Tiffany Fitzgerald at (563) 421-6268.
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