UnitedHealthcare to Depart from the IA Health Link Program
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Today, March 29, 2019, the Department of Human Services (DHS) received notice from UnitedHealthcare that they would be leaving the IA Health Link program in the next several months. For the time being, members may continue to see their providers as usual.
We wanted to notify the public as soon as possible; however, that means we are still working out the details, including the timeline of the transition for UnitedHealthcare members. UnitedHealthcare members will be sent notices providing a choice in managed care organizations (MCOs). They can choose Amerigroup of Iowa or Iowa Total Care for their coverage.
“Ensuring that our members receive the best care, and that our program is sustainable for the long-term, is our highest priority. The Governor and I have both been firm that our MCOs need to be held accountable and I applaud her for her support in that effort. This is the right thing to do for our members and for taxpayers,” said Director Foxhoven.
“Today I ended negotiations between the State of Iowa and UnitedHealthcare because of terms that I believed to be unreasonable and unsustainable, said Governor Reynolds.
"From the day I was sworn in as Governor I have been committed to ensuring a sustainable managed care program that protects patients, supports providers, and holds the insurance companies accountable.
"We have continued to work in good faith, along with the legislature to make improvements to the managed care system, including a substantial increase to funding this past year.
"Unfortunately, UnitedHealthcare continued to make additional demands that I found to be unacceptable, including a provision that would remove pay for performance measures that would hold them accountable.
"I want to assure Iowans that the state will work closely with UnitedHealthcare over the next several months to minimize disruption and ensure a smooth transition to the two other managed care companies.”
More details with specifics will be provided in the coming weeks.
For more information on visit: www.IAHealthLink.gov.
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For more information contact Matt Highland at 515-281-4848 or mhighla@dhs.state.ia.us.
Visit dhs.iowa.gov for information on DHS and its programs.
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