Jones Co. could eliminate case management

     One of the state’s biggest MCOs (managed care organization) has backed out.

     During the Nov. 7 Jones County Board of Supervisors meeting, Community Services Coordinator Lucia Herman informed the board of the future of managed care.

     AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa Inc. will be leaving some 215,000 Iowa Medicaid patients, forcing them to transition to one two remaining MCOs that hold contracts with the state (AmeriGroup Iowa and UnitHealthcare Plan). The new MCO coverage would begin right away, Dec. 1. Herman said the other two MCOs have contracts with the state through June 2018.

     Jones County contracted with AmeriHealth Caritas for clients with intellectual disabilities, explained Herman.

     “We need to decide what we’ll do,” she told the board, “because we won’t be paid for those clients.”

     Herman, herself, also reached out to AmeriGroup and UnitHealthcare to see if they’d be interested in taking these additional clients on, but said they have not returned any phone calls.

     “They (AmeriHealth Caritas) had half of the state,” Herman said in terms of client numbers.

     Supervisor Wayne Manternach, who chairs the mental health regional board, said he has no doubt these two remaining MCOs are getting bombarded right now.

     “I’m sure they’re scrambling,” he said.

     Due to the recent news, and the state’s mandate that mental health and disability service (MHDS) clients must be seen by state MCOs, Herman said more and more county case management departments are folding. If Jones County chose to no longer provide case management, Herman said this would result in the lay-off of one of her employees.

     “Our hands are being forced by the state,” said Manternach.

     Herman said since the news of AmeriHealth Caritas came out, she’s already received phone calls from clients and clients’ families asking if they could come back to Jones County for MHDS.

     “That’s not an option unless other MCOs won’t take them on,” she said.

In other county business:

     • The board will visit with HR attorney Mike Galloway for guidance on determining employee salary proposals for FY2019.

     • The board approved the updated HIPAA Privacy & Security Policies. From here, they will be sent out to county employees for individual training.

     As soon as 61 county employees are training, Lisa Mootz said the county will be in compliance.

     • The board approved advertising for ag parcels owned by the county and the Solid Waste Commission. Bids are due by Tuesday, Dec. 5.

     • The board approved advertising for snow removal at the county’s Brodway Place Annex property. The contract will be a renewable one, good for another year if the work is satisfactory.

     • County Engineer Derek Snead told the board Secondary Roads is busy with projects until the end of the year. Those include: replacing a concrete pipe on 42^nd Street east of Olin, finishing the paving on County Road E-17, wrapping up the bridge project on 105^th Avenue, and hauling sand to the various county out shop buildings.

     • The board approved a contract with Taylor Construction for the bridge replacement project on Bluebird Road. The contract is for $627,000.