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first on decorahnews.com: Winneshiek Medical Center signs contract with United Healthcare for Medicaid patients

Posted: Wed, Dec 2, 2015 10:06 PM

Winneshiek Medical Center officials are sticking with their plan to sign a contract with only one of the four companies selected by the State of Iowa to manage the care of Medicaid patients.

WMC Chief Financial Officer Lynn Luloff says the hospital has signed an agreement with United Healthcare.  The signing is important because Decorah area Medicaid patients have gotten information about the State of Iowa's hiring of four private companies to supervise the Medicaid system in the state.  Medicaid patients have been given until December 17th to sign up with one of the four selected companies.

"We are hearing from patients," says Luloff, who says the patients were trying to figure out their best option.  She emphasizes, however, that WMC will not turn away patients who choose one of the three other MCOs.  The hospital will get paid 10 percent less for those patients, however, than those who sign up with United Healthcare.

"This will be a bite on us," says WMC Board member Judtih Robinson.  Luloff says the hospital decided against signing contracts with all four firms because of the extra paperwork that would have required.  Robinson calls the state's new system "unconscionable," while Luloff criticizes the pace at which the State of Iowa is trying to switch over to the new system.

Winneshiek Medical Center will be sending out letters to Medicaid patients next week, explaining the actions it is taking.