Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Atlantic City Council Wednesday, will hold public hearings on loan agreements amounting to $4.95-million, followed by action from the Council on a resolution expressing the City’s intent to enter into a General Obligation Corporate Purchase and Refunding Loan Agreement, and approval of a bond purchase agreement with Ruan Securities. The hearings and action will come during a Special Council Meeting that begins 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall.

City Administrator Doug Harris says the bonds will help to cover nearly $4.9-million altogether, in Capital Improvement Projects (for Streets, Storm Water, Park and Building Improvements as well as Equipment Acquisition), and, the refunding of 2007 General Obligation Bonds. Harris says refunding the 2007 G-O Bonds will save the City $45,845 in interest, over the next 5-years.

The Council will consider a resolution authorizing the issuance of 2012 G-O Bonds during its meeting on March 7th. In other matters, the Council this Wednesday, will enter into a closed session to discuss collective bargaining strategy, following the conclusion of regular business.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet tonight, in the High School Media Center. During the 7:30-p.m. work session, the Board will hear from and/or discuss the Building Leadership Team (BLT), and hold discussion on the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget. No action will be taken during the work session.

Republicans in the Iowa Senate are pressing to require a face-to-face review with a pharmacist whenever a Medicaid recipient in Iowa gets a new prescription from their doctor. Senator Bill Dix, a Republican from Shell Rock, says it’s about controlling costs. “Medical therapy management is a concept that is utilizing local pharmacists in meeting with patients who’ve been prescribed medications from their doctor and making sure there are no harmful interactions,” Dix says, “that they’re taking them properly and also looking to find potential savings if they can use generics and things like that.” 

In 2005, the legislature in Minnesota set up a system which pays licensed pharmacists to conduct these sorts of consultations with Minnesotans who quality for government-paid health insurance. Dix says Iowa has had a similar pilot program and it’s time to expand it statewide for Iowans who qualify for Medicaid.  “In the pilot project that medical therapy management technique has shown to potentially save the state million of dollars, on top of what’s currently being saved,” Dix says. “It holds strong promise to save taxpayers a lot of money and to ensure better care of the patients.” 

Medicaid provides health care to Iowans who are disabled, low income and to thousands of children whose parents cannot afford health insurance. In addition, many senior citizens on Medicare are part of similar medical therapy management programs, as a result of the prescription drug benefit extended to seniors a decade ago. A 2006 study found 65 percent of elderly patients were prescribed a drug that was unnecessary. And a study conducted last year found nearly half of all Americans used at least one prescription drug in the previous month.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)