(Radio Iowa) – A report from the state auditor’s office has found that after private “managed care organizations” took over the state’s Medicaid system, the number of Iowans improperly denied medical care and services dramatically increased. State Auditor Rob Sand says this is the fourth Medicaid-related audit his office has released. “What we’re trying to do is figure out whether or not Iowa taxpayers are getting what we’re paying for with the MCOs,” Sand says. “The answer, pretty clearly, is that we’re not.” The state turned over management of Medicaid patients’ care to private companies in 2016. Auditors reviewed Medicaid files from 2013 through 2019.  “Comparing privatized Medicaid to non-privatized Medicaid, we have seen a 891% increase in judges overturning care denials,” Sand says, “meaning that care denial, for one reason or another, was illegal.”

State officials in charge of the Medicaid program say Sand’s report is flawed because it fails to account for changes made in the appeals process once private companies were in charge of approving or denying care. Governor Kim Reynolds says administrators of the program tell her the auditor has a fundamental misunderstanding of how the appeals process works. “They have spent a lot of time with his office walking through how it actually works,” Reynolds says. “He made the decision to disregard the information that they provided him and so I stand by Medicaid and believe that we’re still doing the right thing.”

More than 780-thousand Iowans are currently getting medical care or other services through Medicaid. Sand’s report found the two private companies managing the program violated contract provisions, for example, failing to pay for in-home services like wound care and help bathing if the Medicaid recipient was switching from managed care organization to the other.

(Greenfield) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, authorized County Treasurer Brenda Wallace to begin the process of hiring a replacement for an employee in her office who has resigned.

The Board passed a Transfer Resolution for Auditor Mandy Berg.

The Supervisors authorized Board Chair Steve Shelley to sign a Contract and Performance Bond for the Lakeview Drive culvert project. And, based on a recommendation by County Engineer Nick Kauffman, the Board rejected bids received for a reinforced concrete box (RCB) culvert project on W20 Jackson Road, after both bids came in at nearly one-half million dollars, or about 23.7% above the engineer’s estimate.

Kauffman said if they use a “Less conservative approach,” they could save around $100,000. The project will be re-let at a later date in hopes of receiving better bids.

Kauffman discussed also, a repair quote for the N35 Summit bridge.

And the Board spent time discussing with Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, FY2023 Sheriff’s Office wages.

(Irwin, Iowa) – Two people were injured during a collision late Tuesday morning east of Irwin, in Audubon County. According to the State Patrol, a 2010 Chevy Equinox driven by 44-year-old Tatum R. Schmidt, of Savannah, Missouri, was traveling south on Bluebird Avenue at around 11:55-a.m., Tuesday, when Schmidt failed to stop at the intersection with 150th Street. A 1997 Kenworth bobtail semi tractor driven by 42-year-old Nicholas Koeppe, of Exira, was traveling east on 150th, and was struck by the Chevy on the driver’s side in the intersection.

After the collision, the semi tractor left the road to the right and rolled over, coming to rest on its top in the south ditch off 150th. Koeppe was transported by Irwin Rescue to Myrtue Medical Center, in Harlan. Schmidt’s SUV traveled east following the crash, and came to rest facing northwest in the center of 150th. The Patrol says Schmidt was transported by LifeFlight to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst is a lead sponsor of legislation calling on the Pentagon to assess its suicide prevention efforts. Recently released data indicates there was a 15 percent increase in military suicides last year compared to 2019.  “There are bureaucracies in such a large organization and so what we want to do is strengthen collaboration between all of the different offices within the Department of Defense,” Ernst says, “so that we can really dig in and evaluate the effectiveness of their suicide prevention efforts.”

The bill directs two agencies within the military that are focused on suicide prevention to improve data collection and reduce duplication. Ernst says there also should be better training throughout the ranks on what to look for to help prevent suicides. “We’ve found both with our active duty members and with our veterans it is very hard sometimes for them to step forward and be the one that is asking for help when they are used to being the helper,” Ernst says.

(Image via Rand.org)

The number of Army National Guard soldiers who took their own life increased by 35 percent in the past year. Ernst, a retired Iowa National Guard commander, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a combat veteran and retired astronaut, are the bill’s lead sponsors. More than 30 other senators from both parties have signed on as co-sponsors of the “Save Our Servicemembers” or S-O-S Act.

(Radio Iowa) – With a little over a month until Thanksgiving, there are reports of a looming turkey shortage, but the executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation says that is -not- accurate. Gretta Irwin says there is an “ample supply” of turkeys, however, there are other issues which could leave your feathers ruffled if you’re hoping to have a roast turkey as your centerpiece on November 25th.  “There’s definitely challenges in finding enough employees right now through the entire food chain,” Irwin says. “The turkey industry is definitely a part of that discussion and we have some labor shortages along our supply chain that need to be addressed.”

Irwin says Iowa turkey producers will be raising a number of birds this year that is comparable to previous years, but due to continued troubles with transportation and supply management, your nearest supermarket may soon be running lower than usual. “There are challenges with specific sizes or types of turkeys,” Irwin says. “If you want a fresh turkey, let’s say, or a 12-pound turkey or a 28-pound turkey, I would start having conversations now with your grocer to talk about ordering and making sure that you have a specific product available.”

Many Iowans are already making Thanksgiving plans and know roughly how many people will be around the table and thus, how big a turkey they’ll need. “You’ll start seeing turkeys available in all your grocers now and if there’s a certain size that you’re wanting, I would go out and purchase that turkey now and put that in your freezer,” Irwin says. “It just helps you to plan ahead and takes some stress off of planning for your holiday get together.”

Irwin says Iowa turkey farmers should raise about 12-million birds this year, which will rank the state seventh in the U-S in turkey production, while Iowa is fifth in turkey processing.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report the arrest this (Wednesday) morning, of a Pottawattamie County man. Authorities say 29-year-old Keith Schreck, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Burglary. Additional details were not provided in the report. Schreck’s cash or surety bond was set at $10,000.